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Ohio Task Force 1 continues work searching along ravaged Florida coast

MEXICO BEACH, Florida — Ohio Task Force 1 is continuing its efforts along the Florida coastline severely damaged by Hurricane Michael earlier this month.

“Now that the K-9s are here, it’s more searching for human remains in the Mexico City Beach area,” said Josh Johnson, a member of the task force from the Sugarcreek Twp. Fire Department.

Johnson is one of about 20 people and three dogs from the task force in Florida.

The team has been searching through buildings and piles of debris left behind.

“Litterally, it’s just houses and rubble on the beach, moved in with the storm surge, just pushed back three blocks from the coast,” Johnson said.

Johnson said each team member is logging 12 miles a day of GPS-enhanced grid searches.  The team is part of the larger effort in the region, which Johnson said has physically checked 27,000 buildings.

Task Force members said they’ve heard rumblings they may be demobilized and sent home in the next 48-96 hours, however they say that can change quickly due to changing needs on the ground.

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