VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- After returning to Virginia Beach over the weekend from aiding in hurricane relief efforts in multiple areas following Hurricane Irma, Virginia Task Force 2 is gearing up to head back to Puerto Rico to help again with hurricane recovery, this time for Maria.
VA-TF2 just returned from Puerto Rico to help with relief efforts after storms ravaged much of the Caribbean.
Teams also visited several areas of Texas and Florida to aid in recovery as well as search and rescue efforts Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma barreled through those states.
Now, Hurricane Maria is predicted to rapidly intensify and make landfall in Puerto Rico and much of the Caribbean as a Category 4 storm.
Teams reported to the Virginia Beach Fire Training Center at 6 a.m. Monday morning to gear up for deployment. Some team members are from the same team that recently returned on Saturday from Puerto Rico.
A total of 77 members are leaving from Virginia Beach.
Three team members stayed behind in Puerto Rico and will join up with the team, putting the combined force at a total of 80 people.
VA-TF2 is a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team comprised of firefighters from different departments across Hampton Roads.
Canine handlers, medical personnel, engineers and logistic technicians are also members of the team.
