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Kern County Fire Department in Puerto Rico to assist with Hurricane Maria recovery efforts

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Four Kern County firefighters safely arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico Tuesday night to assist with Hurricane Maria recovery efforts. 

The four firefighters are assigned to incident management teams and are tasked with managing disaster support efforts. 

The aftermath of the hurricane left the area devastated. There is little food, no running water and gas shortages in the region. 95% of the island is still without power, making it nearly impossible for friends and family to connect.

Battalion Chief Shawn Whittington spoke to 23ABC over the phone Wednesday afternoon and said they arrived to a lot of structural damage and debris in the city. The little power in San Juan seems to be coming from generators, Whittington said.

"All the power lines look like silly string that's been sprayed around," Whittington said.

Life-threatening flood waters are still plaguing some areas. 

Closer to home, KCFD also has 60 firefighters helping battle wildfires throughout the state.

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