Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey deploys more teams to Texas

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — From Decatur to Mobile, Alabamians are helping survivors recover from flooding in Texas. Gov. Kay Ivey sent more first responders Saturday, upon the request of the state of Texas, to help.

“The immediate answer from our cities was yes. It wasn’t a question of ‘Were we going?’ because the answer was yes immediately.” said Mountain Brook Fire Chief Chris Mullins.

Fire departments from cities like Mountain Brook and Hoover are working to look for survivors on the ground. Mullins said his department stays trained for search and rescue missions.

“We stay in a current state of readiness,” Mullins said. “This could have impacted either of our cities, and we would’ve had an immediate response. So when the tone or alarm goes off, we have to be ready.”

Hoover Fire Chief Clay Bentley agreed. He said these departments have different capabilities, such as rope rescues, handling structural collapses and conducting wilderness search and rescues.

“It’s really an honor and a privilege for our cities to be a part of this program and to be able to be ready to help our neighbor in need,” Bentley said.

Bentley said that need can change from time to time. He said the skillset of these teams are flexible for anything they might walk into.

“There’s well over 100 people who have been killed from this event. There’s 150 to 200 people still missing,” Bentley said. “So our goal is to get there hopefully to find survivors and rescue those people if possible.”

Mullins said to remember these teams in prayer.

“Our guys are going to see things that you’re not supposed to see, and so they’ll carry that through an entire career,” Mullins said. “Some of these guys are young, and so there’s things they have to deal with, and those things that are hard to see.”

Ivey said in a statement that whether it’s by boat, rope or air, these teams are trained to get the job done. She stated they are answering the call with skill and heart.