CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Paramedics from Kanawha and Logan counties are in Louisiana assisting local authorities with the ongoing response to Hurricane Laura.
Eighteen people from the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority and Logan County Emergency Medical Services left Friday to areas affected by the hurricane, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm.
The paramedics, as of Tuesday, were stationed around 80 miles from Louisiana’s coast.
James Mason, a task force commander with the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, said first responders and emergency organizations are overwhelmed with calls related to the hurricane.
“People tend to be hydrated. They’ve had to ration their water and food,” he said. “Water systems are broke. You can’t pump it with the electricity.”
Mason said the West Virginia crews are also in Louisiana to provide relief to local first responders.
“They haven’t been to their houses in three or four days,” he said. “They’re going to go home and see their families.”
According to Mason, the medics were sent to Louisiana with an understanding they could be in the state for 30 days.