Eighty Members of Virginia Task Force 2 (VA-TF2) Activated to Support Response for Tropical Storm Idalia

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (August 28, 2023) — Eighty members of Virginia Task Force 2 were activated as a Type 1 Task Force at 1400 hours on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, in response to Tropical Cyclone Idalia. The team will depart the Harry E. Diezel Training Center, 927 South Birdneck Road, at 2200 hours this evening. An additional 14 members will support the Incident Support Team (IST). The team will stage in Orlando, Florida, until further direction from FEMA. They will assist local agencies with requests for assistance as needed.

VATF-2 USAR is one of 28 FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Teams positioned across the country. The Virginia Beach Fire Department is the sponsoring agency for VATF-2. VATF-2 has conducted search and rescue operations in the aftermath of numerous disasters.