Tulsa Officers Back Home After Helping In Hurricane Irma Aftermath

Some Tulsa police officers are back home tonight after spending more than a week helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

Members of Tulsa Police Department's Incident Management team spent nine days in Florida.

One experienced volunteer said he's never experienced such widespread devastation, and he'll remember it for a lifetime. 

"It was that sense of urgency that we got to make sure that we help these people. Because that's somebody's grandmother that's somebody's great grandmother. That's how it affected us," said Cpl. Dan Miller.

Miller and 11 others who helped Oklahoma's Emergency Management team are back home from Florida after lending a hand to victims of Hurricane Irma.

"You see the damage but you know that there's people there. And that's the big thing about going down and helping those people get back to normal lives," Miller said.

The team, made up of police officers and specially trained first responders, left 11 days ago for Sebring, Florida.

Their mission was to give away food and water to thousands of people in need. 

"You go down and you see miles, or 2 miles of cars waiting in line for that food or that water. That all wears down you," Miller said.

Miller said he's glad to help, ready for hurricane season to end, and happy to finally be home.

"Coming home and being back with our families gives us a sense of relief that we went to help, but it's also good to be back home with our family and spend time with them," Miller said.

And though they're home now, members said their work is far from over.

If the state requests assistance for damage following hurricane Maria, they'll be ready to leave at a moment's notice.