Maryland task force to assist in Irma response

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - A search-and-rescue team from Maryland is gearing up to assist with the response to Hurricane Irma.

TV station WTTG reports Montgomery County-based Maryland Task Force 1 was on its way home from Texas following Hurricane Harvey when some members were told they would be helping with Hurricane Irma. Part of the team that handles hazmat situations was diverted to Alabama to prepare.

The massive Hurricane Irma was headed for the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday.

The Hurricane Center has predicted Irma will remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two. It then appears increasingly likely to rip into heavily populated South Florida early Sunday.

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Information from: WTTG-TV, https://www.myfoxdc.com