Southern California search and rescue dogs deploy to Texas flood zone

Several canine teams from Southern California are deploying to Texas to help with search and rescue efforts following the devastating flash floods that have left at least 100 people dead and another 160 missing.

Task Force crews with the Orange County Fire Authority and Los Angeles County Fire Department departed LAX on Wednesday morning. Another team from Riverside County is also believed to be en route.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of central Texas,” said L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone in a statement.  “I am grateful to California Governor Gavin Newsom and Cal OES for deploying our LACoFD canine teams to assist in the search and recovery efforts.”

The SoCal teams will join hundreds of other volunteers in one of the largest search operations in Texas history.

“We are proud to support our partners and stand with the communities affected during this challenging and tragic time,” said OCFA spokesperson Greg Barta.

The floods, which struck over the Fourth of July weekend, devastated areas along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County—home to popular vacation spots, youth camps, and historic sites like Camp Mystic, where at least 27 campers and counselors died.

Six remain unaccounted for.

The flash flood was the deadliest from inland flooding in the U.S. since Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flood on July 31, 1976, killed 144 people, according to Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.