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By October 12, 2026 / 7:55 PM EDT / CBS Miami Add CBS News on Google Dozens of South Florida first responders have returned home after traveling to the Panhandle to help communities hit by Hurricane Isaias. Nearly 90 first responders from agencies in Miami-Dade and Broward counties left Thursday for Pensacola to help before, during, and after the storm made landfall. Isaias made landfall near Destin on Friday night as a Category 2 storm.
Four people were killed, two in Florida and two in Alabama . Omar Blanco, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue captain with Florida Task Force 1 and a Republican state representative, described the preparation before the storm arrived. "A lot of preparation and a lot of anticipating what the storm may or may not do, making sure that the residents in the area of impact are protected and that we're ready to deploy at a moment's notice," Blanco said.
South Florida crews searched the hardest-hit areas of the Panhandle with help from trained search dogs. Roger Picard, a canine search specialist with Florida Task Force 2, said two dogs and their handlers flew in a helicopter with the National Guard to patrol some of the barrier islands in case local fire or emergency services missed anything. "Two dogs went up in a helicopter with the national guard, and their handlers, and they were able to patrol some of the barrier islands in the event that there was something missed by the local fire or emergency services," Picard said.
Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins said South Florida sending help to other parts of the state works both ways. "What goes around, comes around. Should we have a Hurricane come our way, we would have our task force here, but other parts of Florida will send their fire rescue personnel to help those in need as well," Higgins said.
The first responders said they train regularly for these situations so they are always prepared. Ana Maria Soler contributed to this report. In: Hurricane Isaias Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue South Florida Miami Florida Hurricane South Florida first responders back home after helping those impacted by Hurricane Isaias 02:26 South Florida first responders back home after helping those impacted by Hurricane Isaias (02:26)
Source: CBS News
