Most of the Wisconsin National Guard soldiers that were supposed to help with Hurricane Irma are no longer going.
Captain Joe Trovato, a spokesman for the Guard, said Florida officials determined they didn’t need as many people.
More than 2,500 troops from around the state were activated. Trovato said they sent about 650 of them on Sunday and they’ll be staying. He says they’re expected to help shuttle supplies and provide security. He said the rest are either coming back or they never left.
A team of Wisconsin first responders is also heading home from Florida. The state’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force was asked to help with searches in the Jacksonville area — but the mission was called off when Hurricane Irma did not hit the region as hard as expected. The team is made up of first responders and search dog handlers from the Antigo, Appleton, Beloit, Chippewa Falls, Green Bay, Janesville, La Crosse, and Oshkosh fire departments.
WHBY