Lakeland police undergo new training to prepare for future hurricanes

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Lakeland Police Department dive team recently underwent extensive water rescue training after Hurricane Milton caused severe flooding in parts of the city last year. 

The team shared footage with Spectrum Bay News 9 of the moment members arrived at Twin Palms last October. 

The video shows several inches of water surrounding homes.

Floodwaters were so high that one resident was seen waving for help.

Sgt. Bob Bernhardt was part of the rescue mission. He said the conditions were unlike anything he’d seen since joining the dive team in 2017.

“Roadways were now riverways,” he said. “The water was anywhere from 4 to 5 ft. deep. There were currents running through there probably 6 to 8 knots. You couldn’t walk through it, certain areas that were flowing that heavy.” 

Though members successfully rescued dozens from the flooding, Bernhardt said the experience motivated them to seek additional training. Six of the eight members became certified in high-water rescue. The weeklong training in North Carolina included a 140,000-gallon pool that simulated realistic weather conditions.

“We just learned different ways to ingress and egress from these flooded waters safely, which is something that we really hadn’t trained too much on before,” Bernhardt said. “It was definitely good training and this training we will continue to do from this point on.”

Along with training, Bernhardt said the dive team also got new helmets, gear and boats.

“We can either sit them and row through these places or we can either wade or carry them,” he said.

The upgrades aim to make future water rescues more efficient and safer for everyone involved.