Missouri crews assisting with Irma cleanup

A man paddles a kayak near a flooded home along the Alafia River Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, in Lithia, Fla. A storm surge from Hurricane Irma pushed water into the low lying area. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
A man paddles a kayak near a flooded home along the Alafia River Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, in Lithia, Fla. A storm surge from Hurricane Irma pushed water into the low lying area. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

More than 50 Missouri Department of Transportation employees and 18 Missouri State Parks employees are heading to Florida this week to help with cleanup in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

The state of Florida requested assistance from other states over the weekend, according to a MoDOT news release.

The Missouri crews deployed Tuesday morning from Sikeston, heading to Tallahassee to receive their work orders. They took a variety of equipment with them, such as loaders, road tractors, backhoes, chainsaws and trucks. Their primary responsibility will be debris removal from roadways. The crews are prepared to be out of state for up to two weeks.

MoDOT workers from Mid-Missouri headed to Florida include Parker Lawrence, intermediate maintenance worker in Jefferson City; James Duncan, senior equipment technician based in Jefferson City; Scott Campbell, safety officer based in Jefferson City; Jeff Keeven, maintenance crew leader in Cuba; Kerry Nilges, maintenance crew leader in Linn; Richard Skelton, maintenance supervisor in Columbia; Bob Lansford, senior maintenance worker in Fulton; Sam Wehmeyer, senior maintenance worker in Boonville; and Corey Wilson, senior equipment technician in Salem.

The last time MoDOT workers went out of state was in November 2005 when a crew of seven technicians helped with signal outages following Hurricane Wilma in Florida.

The Missouri parks teams will work in Florida state parks, cleaning up fallen trees and other debris left by the Category 4 storm. According to preliminary reports, 168 of the state's 174 state parks have been closed due to storm damage. Two Missouri State Park Rangers will provide security during the deployment.

In the past, Department of Natural Resources staff from the Environmental Services Program responded to hurricanes Matthew and Hermine in Florida. However, this is the first time state park crews have been requested to go out of state to assist after a disaster.

Missouri State Parks are also offering free camping to evacuees from Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

The offer extends to those who are already in Missouri State Parks campgrounds, as well as evacuees who may be migrating north seeking a place to stay, according to the news release.

Texas, Louisiana and Florida residents impacted by Harvey or Irma will be allowed to stay up to 30 days in Missouri campgrounds. Longer stays will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.