More agencies send crews east

Gov. Mary Fallin on Friday announced more crews are being dispatched to assist with Tropical Storm Florence response efforts.

Two swift water rescue teams deployed to North Carolina on Friday to support rescue operations in areas affected by the tropical storm. The teams consist of members from multiple county emergency management and fire departments, according to a news release.

A team with the Oklahoma Insurance Department is also deploying to North Carolina to help the state with anti-fraud enforcement.

Other teams have already been dispatched to areas hit by the storm, including the Oklahoma Task Force 1 Swift Water Rescue team and volunteers from the American Red Cross of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. employees.

A team of University of Oklahoma meteorologists is also in the area, where they are providing weather updates to the National Weather Service and other federal agencies while collecting storm data to study later.

A staff member from Oklahoma Emergency Management is also set to deploy to Hawaii to assist with coordination of out-of-state resources in response to the Kilauea East Rift Zone volcano and lava flow event.

The teams are deploying in response to Emergency Management Assistance Compact requests from other states. EMAC is a national mutual aid system that allows states to send personnel, equipment and other supplies to help during disasters, according to the release.

“We are committed to helping other states during their time of need with any resources we have available as they deal with the continued effects of this storm, much like other states have come to help Oklahoma in past disasters,” said Michelann Ooten, Oklahoma Emergency Management director.

The agency is continuing to monitor for additional requests from affected areas and further support may be deployed if needed.

Florence was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center.