Missouri Task Force 1 returns to Boone County after aiding in southern Missouri flood response
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri Task Force 1 on Monday completed its four-day deployment in Reynolds and Iron counties to respond to and help with the historic flooding in southern Missouri.
The task force was originally placed as a type 3 resource, meaning only half the team was deployed, but after seeing the severity of the flood, it was upgraded to a Type 1, deploying more than 80 members, according to technical information specialist Ryan Benedict.
Benedict said that flooding is an extremely dangerous situation, and it only takes roughly 6-7 inches of water to move a large vehicle, so what made this event so historic and catastrophic was how rapidly the water was moving.
"They talk about how it’s historic because things like this don’t happen very often," Benedict said. "And when water comes up like that in just a short amount of time, it carries away anything in its path."
According to a press release from the Boone County Fire Protection District, search operations were conducted throughout each day to search through flooded homes, campers and vehicles.
Benedict said the task force searched more than 100 buildings, 90 campers and 120 vehicles.
The deployment included a Disaster Situational Assessment and Reconnaissance team, which provided aerial surveillance, disaster mapping, and critical intelligence to communicate with responders, according to the press release. Because of this, the Task Force covered more than 2,000 acres and collected over 6,000 visual aids to support the response operations.
Benedict said the DSAR team was a big part of their mission and was crucial to finding and rescuing residents. He said the DSAR team was sent to fly missions early to navigate where the task force should go.
"He was there flying missions at 10 a.m., which was absolutely critical in the decision-making process that led into the rescue of the campers and counselors," Benedict said. "The folks that they were going to rescue were in very much trouble. And it was important to get to them quickly."
Missouri Task Force 1 arrived at the Boone County Fire Protection District Headquarters around 3:15 p.m. Monday.
Once the force arrives, they will begin the disbandment and return the equipment so it's ready for future deployments.
