PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — With knowledge and experience in grid-style searches, five PA Task Force One members are in Texas to help in the rescue and recovery mission following last weeks deadly flash floods.
They’re helping out with logistics to make sure the rescue and recovery mission is successful.
“They just want to help, and given the opportunity to serve at the national level, it’s even better ’cause you feel more like you’re serving your country that way,” says Ivan Lopez, the Program Manager of PA Task Force One.
The Independence Day floods in Kerr County, Texas, left a wave of destruction behind, killing more than 100 people.
The waters of the Guadalupe River surged to 26 feet in just 45 minutes. Some 20 state agencies have deployed about 17,500 personnel.
Lopez spoke to Action News about the dangers of swift water searches.
“Out of everything we do, water is probably the most unpredictable. Water is completely out of our control. You’re looking at the debris coming downfield. All that’s there becomes impediments to the rescuer,” said Lopez.
One hundred and fifty campers from an all-girls Christian camp, Camp Mystic, were stranded in floodwaters and lost 27 friends to the raging river.
Texas officials say at this point, five campers and one adult are still unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, U.S. Coast Guard member Scott Ruskan is being hailed a hero for helping to save the girls, from 7 to 17 years old, and counselors.
“We just kind of assess how cold these guys are, and injuries that they have, and the youngest ones, I wanted to get those guys out of there first,” said Ruskan
There are still dangerous conditions with a need for heavy equipment to move debris piles, and K-9s searching for anyone trapped inside, as they keep an eye on the weather. More flooding remains a possibility.
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