Nebraska Task Force 1 is heading home after spending nearly two weeks helping communities in South Texas prepare for possible flooding along the Nueces River. The Lincoln-based urban search and rescue team was deployed to Live Oak County on July 20 at the request of Texas emergency management officials.
During the 12-day mission, task force members contacted more than 240 residents in 106 households, helping families understand flood risks, confirm evacuation plans and identify people who would need extra assistance if floodwaters rose.
Crews also left flood warning information at nearly 250 additional properties where no one answered the door, ensuring every address in the operational area received information. “Our job is to make sure that by the time water is actually rising, nobody in this county is finding out about it for the first time,” says Task Force Leader Ashley Engler.
“That means knocking on every door, mapping every crossing, and knowing this river before it ever leaves its banks.” In addition to public outreach, Nebraska Task Force 1 conducted ground, boat and aerial reconnaissance of the Nueces River Basin, inspected bridges and a dam, documented potential hazards and maintained rescue teams on standby around the clock.
Engler said the mission focused on supporting local responders. “We never showed up to take over, we showed up to make Live Oak County’s own team stronger,” Engler says. “Every map we built, every household we visited, every bridge we checked was handed straight to the people who live here and the officials who answer to them.”
The team coordinated daily with local, state and federal agencies, including the Texas Division of Emergency Management, FEMA, local fire departments, the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Marshals Service.
With its assignment complete, Nebraska Task Force 1 has been released by Texas emergency management officials and is expected to return to Nebraska on Tuesday.
(Photo: Nebraska Task Force 1 Facebook)