Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said he wished he could send the entire department to help the victims of Hurricane Michael.

TAMPA – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office will send its second wave of deputies, gear and supplies in support of Hurricane Michael reliefthis morning (Oct.. 14).

“If I could send the entire office I would have done it immediately. Our state has suffered a catastrophic event and the Hillsborough County Sheriff office is proud to answer the call to help with law enforcement, search and rescue and recovery efforts,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “You can not imagine the pride I feel at knowing our men and women are quietly helping make a difference to those who have lost everything.”

In total,12 deputies and their vehicles will leave for Panama City carrying as many supplies as they can safely take. The contingent from the Special Incident Response Team is set to relieve the original members who deployed last week. HCSO will maintain a regular deployment schedule of relief deputies for the foreseeable future who will leave and return weekly.

The original team that deployed last week has reported a significant need for supplies of clothing, food and basic essentials for the local deputies and police who work and live in the area. Many have lost everything and only have the clothes they are wearing. In response to that and the need of the citizens our deputies are supporting, the SIRT team members who are leaving today each went out and purchased what amounts to a couple thousand dollars’ worth of supplies with their own money to donate while in the area.

“We have all been affected by a hurricane or emergency event at one time or another and now it is our turn to help both officially and personally,” Chronister said. “Our deputies really are an incredible group that I am beyond humbled to lead. They volunteer to leave their own families and go hundreds of miles away for days on end. They then spend hundreds of dollars of their own money to feed and provide for total strangers they have never meet. You can’t teach that. We are very lucky that these are the men and women of HCSO. ”

Photo showing Hillsborough deputies cutting debris after Hurricane Michael courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Hillsborough Sheriff | Chad Chronister | Hurricane Michael | Tampabay News

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