Task Force 1 members reflect on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts after two-week deployment

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Seventeen members of Missouri Task Force 1 returned to Boone County on Wednesday after spending two weeks in parts of North Carolina and Georgia after Hurricane Helene made landfall.

According to a social media post from the Boone County Fire Protection District, the task force had to extend its typical 14-day deployment due to "ongoing needs" in the field.

Members were deployed an additional 10 days and relocated to Black Mountain, North Carolina, on Wednesday, about 20 miles west of Marion, North Carolina, where the group was previously stationed.

Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Fire Chief Gale Blomenkamp said this marks the longest members have been deployed since the task force was created, which was in 1997. According to Blomenkamp, the 17 members were swapped out with 17 other members, due to other work commitments.

Blomenkamp said the mood Wednesday when members returned was one that reflected members were glad to be home, but wished they could have stayed to help.

"I know none of them really wanted to, but they had to. They have, they have commitments, they have families." Blomenkamp said.

He said members remain on standby and could possibly be deployed to Florida or other places they're needed after Hurricane Milton makes landfall.

"They want to, they want to hold us in theater until that hurricane goes through and they make sure that they don't have any issues with Hurricane Milton," Blomenkamp said. "Once it passes through, then they'll have the option to either hold on to us for more time or they can release us back to the back to FEMA and then we could be reassigned."

David Gehm was one of the deployed members who returned home on Wednesday.

Gehm served as a HAZMAT specialist during the deployment, which he said consisted of monitoring possible contaminated waters. Muddy and washed out roads, buildings under water, downed trees, and destroyed storms are what Gehm said members were greeted with when arriving in the state.

Gehm said he's served on the task force for 26 years and has responded to several hurricanes.

However, he said the conditions of North Carolina were unique.

"It is different because the other ones I've been on is like Fort Myers and Florida, it's water surge and floods and things like that," Gehm said. "This one was strange because it was in the mountains. It's not what we expected."

Jay Niemeyer served as the safety officer during the task force's deployment.

He said much of the work consisted of searching in waterways, large brush piles and homes.

"Our team members spent significant hours searching through these areas and a lot of times it's literally just walking, sometimes easy enough for walking along a road or in a subdivision," Niemeyer said. "Sometimes it's literally slogging through the mud knee deep for hours on end."

During their deployment, members assisted local authorities in searching a home for a man who was believed to have been trapped inside after a tree fell on top of it. Niemeyer said local officials didn't have the personnel needed to properly search the home.

Members of the task force then stepped in to help, using tools such as K-9s and cameras to search the home. According to Niemeyer, the man died from his injuries. However, he said knowing they were able to help is what their missions are all about.

"So, it's about giving in advance. It's about leaning forward to help others when they need it so at times when we need to, we can come back and get that help," Niemeyer said.

Gehm also said for him, working on the task force is no different than being a firefighter in Missouri.

"What we do is not insignificant, but it's a small portion of what they have to face for years to come," Gehm said. "But it gives it helps give closure. I guess I that's what we like to do is you know, even if you find someone deceased."