Washington State Task Force 1 (WA-TF1), one of 28 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urban search and rescue teams in the nation, was activated today to support rescue efforts on the east coast. The Task Force will be assisting local responders in areas hard hit by Superstorm Sandy. The Task Force has been readying itself for the past two days, and was put on alert Tuesday for possible deployment.

Processing of the team members will take place at the Department of Emergency Management, 2501 S. 35th St. in Tacoma. Team members are currently being processed. It will take 4-6 hours to process all team members.

The Washington Task Force 1 (WA-TF1) was established in 1991 and currently has 36 different participating agencies from three primary jurisdictions, Seattle Fire, King County and Pierce County. The Task Force comprises over 210 team members, drawn from a variety of organizations including fire departments, hospitals, law enforcement and public works agencies in the City of Seattle, King County and Pierce County.