Nebraska Task Force One is heading to Texas as part of a federal deployment to assist with response efforts following catastrophic flooding. Task Force Program Manager Ashley Engler, who will serve as the task force leader for the deployment, says the 45-member Urban Search and Rescue team was ordered to deploy on short notice and must arrive in Texas by Thursday night.
The team will check in at San Antonio before receiving its final assignment, with operations expected to begin Friday. Engler said the team is deploying as a Type 3 Urban Search and Rescue Task Force with water rescue capabilities. She says 43 members are making the trip.
The group includes structural engineers, heavy rigging specialists, medical personnel, logistics staff, rescue technicians, and canine search teams. The deployment includes firefighters from Lincoln Fire & Rescue, Omaha Fire Department, Council Bluffs Fire Department, and the Papillion Fire Department, along with civilian specialists, including a physician from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
While officials have not been told exactly where they will be assigned, Engler said the mission is expected to focus on flood response and search-and-rescue operations. Engler said FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue system will provide more detailed mission information once the team arrives in Texas.
The deployment came together rapidly, with the task force assembling and departing in less than four hours after receiving federal orders.
(Photos: KLIN’s Tom Stanton)