Howard County sent two firefighters to help rescue teams in high-risk areas expected to be raked by Hurricane Florence as soon as Thursday night.
Battalion Chief Stephen Hardesty and Firefighter Dain Yakich traveled to South Carolina around 7 a.m. Wednesday.The men, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, have not received assignments and can be in the region for up to 30 days, according to Brad Tanner, a spokesman for the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.
They will be part of an urban search-and-rescue team from Maryland, county authorities said.
The hurricane, which has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm but expanded in size, is expected to hit the Carolinas on Friday and is likely to continue south. The storm might have winds as high as 129 mph.