On October 30, 2025, SDF-trained search teams J.P. Hilsabeck & Bond, Ed Ruiz & Harper, and Mike Toepfer & Deacon of Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Task Force 2 deployed to the Caribbean, ready to lend aid to victims of Hurricane Melissa alongside rescuers from around the world.
Deploying internationally as USA-2, the task force worked alongside their teammates from USA-1 (based in Fairfax County, Virginia) to conduct surveys and assessments throughout areas hit by Hurricane Melissa, both by air and on foot.
Hurricane Melissa unleashed catastrophic destruction across the Caribbean, beginning with a rare, powerful Category 5 landfall in Jamaica—the strongest on record in the island’s history. The initial impact caused widespread flooding, power outages, and fatalities.
After 13 days of dedicated service in the Caribbean following Hurricane Melissa, the teams have returned safely home.
The handlers and their canine partners arrived back home on Tuesday evening to a warm and well-deserved welcome from their families and friends.
We continue to hold the victims of Hurricane Melissa, who face ongoing disruption and loss, in our thoughts. We are incredibly proud of our teams for their unwavering commitment to helping communities in their times of greatest need.
MEET THE BOOTS AND PAWS ON THE GROUND FOR HURRICANE MELISSA:
