USF volunteers, medical team assist evacuation shelters

The Hillsborough County Office of Emergency Management activated USF’s Community Emergency Response Team, which helped to prepare and assist emergency shelters during Hurricane Ian.

The team, which included 53 student volunteers, helped set up and manage 16 shelter locations across the county.

The university’s Medical Response Unit also provided care at the largest special needs shelter in the county, which housed more than 300 evacuated patients and caregivers.

“Our team represented the largest contribution of licensed medical providers at the shelter and our responders actively cared for hundreds of patients 24 hours a day,” said EMT Operations Coordinator Austin Jared. 

– Kelly Hayes, Extensive Enterprises Media