With sirens and lights on Tuesday, Task Force 3 returned home from Houston and into the waiting arms of family.
- Task Force 3 spent several days helping Harvey victims
- Team members rescued more than 850 hurricane victims
- If Irma hits Florida, task force says it will be ready
The team, made up of firefighters from St. Petersburg, Tampa and Hillsborough County departments, left last Monday to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
"How good is it to hug them? Are you kidding me?" said volunteer Scott Mayville. "There’s no way I could explain that."
Team members rescued more than 850 hurricane victims, many of whom were stranded in flooded out homes.
"A lot of times it would be, 'Hey, go check this neighborhood out," said Task Force 3 leader Steve Santana.
"And we were literally just kind of floating down the street," he said. "In some areas it flooded so much we were floating over cars."
It's a mission team members said they won't forget. But if Irma hits hard, the task force said it will be ready.
"All of my guys are telling me, 'Hey, I’m ready for the call," Santana said. "Give me 48 hours, let me take care of my family, make sure that they are good and if we need it we're ready to go back out the door."