CLEVELAND, Ohio — It's been over two weeks since Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, leaving a path of destruction behind.
At least 125 died in the storm, the deadliest hurricane to strike the state since 1935.
Members of Ohio Task Force 1, including many from Northeast Ohio, deployed to help with the rescue and recovery efforts.
The team returned home this week after a 17-day deployment where they helped people in the hardest hit parts of Southwest Florida.
"Roofs blown off, we saw a lot of flooding where people were stranded in their homes and we had to go out and evacuate them from their homes," said Chris Caimi.
Caimi is a platoon chief with the Euclid Fire Department and a rescue squad officer for Ohio Task Force 1. He said the widespread damage was devastating.
"You just create this instant connection with the people, so leaving there is difficult because you know you were doing such good things there to help them, so its almost like you leave a little piece there and you think about them when you leave," Caimi said.
The team was able to help reunited families, like a deputy sheriff who was working as the hurricane hit and couldn't get in touch with his pregnant wife or young kids.
"So we were able to take him on the boat, get him to his family and it was really special to see him reunite with his family," Caimi said.
Not all stories were quite as happy. Caimi said the team helped with recovery efforts as well, providing families closure by locating their loved ones remains.
"Our team was able to perform a recovery and help give some family members closure. It's part of the job, we're here to help anyway we can," Caimi said.
Throughout his ten years of deploying to these kinds of disasters, Caimi said the resilience always shines through, with people stepping up to help one another during the most tragic times.
"You know people helping everybody, I mean signs on the road that say free food to anyone in need, to families, neighbors helping get all the wet stuff out of their homes, from their furniture to anything, just so the mold doesn't create a problem in their home, helping them gut their houses," Caimi said.
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