ALSO INSIDE: As Irma pounds Florida, Dayton sends help,

Ohio responders ready to roll as part of national network.

As Hurricane Irma pounds parts of Florida, local orga- nizations are heading south to aid in recovery efforts while other Dayton natives flee the storm to return home to safety. Support from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton Power & Light and other local organizations helped provide assistance after Irma made landfall Sunday morning in the Florida Keys. The storm already left islands in the Caribbean ravaged, where at least 23 deaths have been reported so far, according to island officials.

Hurricane-force winds extended 80 miles from Irma’s center, tropical storm winds are expected to extend

220 miles, and tornadoes could pop up throughout the duration of the storm. The storm packed 120 mph winds Sunday as it made its way toward Naples.

More than 6 million people have been warned to evacuate, and at least one person has already died in Florida.

The Monroe County Sheriff ’s Office said a man in Monroe County, Fla., was killed after he lost control of a truck he has driving while transporting a generator.

Raging Category 3 Hurricane Irma could cut the power off to as many as 3 million Florida Power & Light customers before the storm dies down in the state, FPL officials said on Sunday. While FPL workers are repair-

ing what they can Sunday between feeder bands in some areas, about 17,000 line and vegetation workers are prepared to begin full-scale restoration efforts Monday.

Dayton Power & Light sent linemen to Georgia, and they will await instructions from Duke Energy in Florida. DP&L is part of a national network of utility companies that assist during natural disasters. Since Thursday, the Wright

Patt flight line has recorded the arrival of 12 F-15 Eagle fighter planes from the Flor- ida Air National Guard in Jacksonville and four Navy P-8 Poseidon and five P-3 Orion anti-submarine hunt

ing planes from the Naval Air Station Jacksonville among a

parade of planes expected to grow larger.

“We continue to serve as a safe haven for aircraft,”

said Col. Bradley McDonald, Wright-Patterson instal- lation commander. “There’s a lot of fluidity to this process and requests continue to flow in.”

McDonald also said 97 base medical personnel — including surgeons, nurses

and physical therapists — who can operate a 25-patient clinic were readying for pos- sible orders to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Irma’s destruction. More than 50 Dayton VA Medical Center employees also were on standby to potentially

assist with hurricane recovery efforts, according to hospital spokesman Ted Froats. A pharmacy technician was sent to a VA facility in Houston after Hurricane Harvey struck last month, he said.

As many as 3,500 members of the Ohio National Guard also prepared to be deployed if called on for recovery efforts, according to Stephanie Beougher of the Ohio National Guard. No deployment orders were given by Sunday afternoon. If guard members are sent,

they’ll focus on assisting law enforcement agencies.

Ohio Task Force 1 (OH-TF1) also prepared on Sunday for a potential deployment to Florida in response to Hurricane Irma, according to a statement from the organization. OH-TF1 is in reserve and ready for any assistance requests from FEMA. Currently, four OH-TF1 members are deployed in various

oversight positions as part of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue System.

Cory Paul, the executive director of the American Red Cross Dayton Area Chapter, said new volunteers are welcome. He said he’s been proud of the generosity shown by the community already. Irma’s path of destruction

has spanned much farther than just Florida. The firstever tropical storm warn

ing was issued for Atlanta early Sunday, and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a State of Emergency statewide later in the afternoon.

Turks and Caicos sustained “catastrophic damage,” according to government officials, while some of

the U.S. Virgin Islands like St. Thomas were left in ruins. ”