Kansas Task Force 1 overcomes challenges amid Texas floods

TEXAS (KSNT) – The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s (KSFM) office is sharing an update on Kansas Task Force 1 that was deployed to help with deadly flooding in Texas on Friday.

The task force used two boats and two ATVs in the field and was joined by K9 teams, according to a social media post from the KSFM. The KSFM said the area the teams are searching in keeps growing.

“Despite minimal local rainfall, tributary flooding has pushed water thousands of yards from the main river channel.”
KSFM social media post excerpt

The KSFM said that communication is challenging, but the task force is attaching Starlink Minis to ATVs with zip ties and tape to improvise. The task force is expected to stick around in Texas for a full two-week mission.

Overnight on Monday, the KSFM reported that the river task force members were working on rose about six feet and was moving faster than the previous day. The following day, the task force continued with quick searches for victims in structures on land and water.

“The uneven terrain causes communication issues between task force members and the staff at the Base of Operations, which creates additional challenges for the team members,” the KSFM wrote on Thursday.

On July 12, Governor Laura Kelly announced that Kansas deployed two Type 3 swift-water rescue teams to impacted areas of Texas. The teams were assigned to Kerrville and Kerr County.

The response follows Texas’s request to the Kansas Division of Emergency Management for assistance in the disaster. The request was made as part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a multistate mutual aid agreement. As part of the agreement, Kansas will be reimbursed for the cost of deployment.

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