Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook is one of nearly 50 who are part of the rescue and rebuilding process for those affected by Hurricane Idalia last week.

CCSO 911 dispatchers Sarah Lipe and Thomas Bowen are part of the emergency response in Taylor County, while 10 Clay County Fire Rescue firefighters are in Dixie County for the cleanup efforts after Idalia’s direct hit as a Category 3 storm.

The Northeast Florida Region 3 All Hazards Team was deployed to Citrus County to provide critical expertise to the heavily damaged area. The NE Florida team is comprised of emergency management offices in Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties.

Even as Idalia, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm, was still churning a path through Georgia and South Carolina, several Clay County first responders were already organizing to help with rescue and rebuilding efforts.

Hours earlier, Hurricane Idalia was projected to bring 75 mph winds to Clay County. But the Category 3 storm made an unexpected jog to the north and west and tore into the rural area at Keaton Beach, 75 miles southwest of Tallahassee.

Spared the destruction, county officials were quickly dispatched to the area.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office sent 16 deputies, including Sheriff Michelle Cook, to Taylor and Suwannee counties. Fire Rescue sent 10 firefighters to Dixie County to fill in for local first responders who worked for days without time off. The Northeast Florida Region 3 All Hazards Team, which is comprised of emergency management officials from Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties, headed to Citrus County. And local emergency volunteers with Team Rubicon were sprinkled throughout the Big Bend area.

Cook represents the Florida Sheriff’s Association. She has been going from county to county to ensure dozens of law enforcement agencies have the necessary resources and support and to troubleshoot any problems.

Cook said the Clay County Sheriff’s Office also sent 16 deputies and two 911 dispatchers.

“I want the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to help the impacted communities because that builds goodwill. Right?,” Cook said. “When something happens here, we know we can count on those guys to reciprocate.”

Idalia made landfall on Wednesday, Aug. 30. it spent 31 hours ripping across the South before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean.

According to Gov. Ron DeSantis, 13 counties were part of the federal disaster declaration. The State Emergency Response Team has provided more than 230,000 meals, 150,000 bottles of water and 3,000 tarps at nine different points of distribution.

As victims of the storm filed damage reports, members of Team Rubicon, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people prepare, respond and recover from disasters, assessed the damage and arranged for repairs the following day.

CCSO deputies provided law enforcement at Steinhatchee in Taylor County, 19 miles southeast of landfall.

“Being a good neighbor is how people come together,” Cook said. “You leave all the baggage at the door and roll up your sleeves and get busy.”

As officials worked to clean up the mess Idalia left, another major storm was forming in the Atlantic Ocean by Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center predicted it to become a major hurricane before the weekend, but early spaghetti models forecast the storm to turn north and miss the United States.

But if it doesn’t, county emergency teams will be ready to go where they’re needed.