Pa. task force deploys to South Carolina ahead of Hurricane Florence

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Hurricane and storm surge watches have been issued as Hurricane Florence, a strong Category 4 storm, closes in on the Carolinas.

As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, the storm carried winds of up to 140 mph, but is expected to become a Category 5 storm Tuesday. The watches were issued Tuesday morning from Edisto Beach, South Carolina -- which is just south of Charleston -- to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

About 80 members of PA-Task Force 1 will be deploying Tuesday evening to Columbia, S.C., ahead of the storm. The Philadelphia Fire Department sponsors PA-TF1, which is one of 28 federal urban search-and-rescue groups overseen by FEMA.

MORE: Hurricane Florence expected to linger over Carolinas for days

Of the 80 members leaving, 42 are PFD members. The others are first responders from agencies across the region.

The convoy of trucks filled with resources and equipment is slated to leave between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. for the 630-mile journey.

Members of PA-Task Force 1 deployed last summer to help areas hit by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.