TACOMA, Wash. — The Pierce County-based FEMA Federal Task Force 1 has been mobilized and is preparing to head to Beaumont, Texas, just east of Houston, to assist with the unprecedented flooding the region has had over the weekend.
The 17 rescuers in the task force have experience responding to events in Mexico City, Oklahoma City, New Orleans and dozens more operations.
The task force is described on the county website as:
"The Washington Task Force 1 (WA-TF1) was established in 1991 and currently consists of members from 21 agencies from three primary jurisdictions: Seattle Fire; King County; and Pierce County. The team comprises over 210 team members, drawn from a variety of organizations including fire departments, hospitals, law enforcement and public works agencies in the City of Seattle, King County and Pierce County. Canine teams accompany WA-TF1 members on all deployments."
For KIRO 7 News at 5:00 Deedee Sun will report live from the Pierce County FEMA headquarters in Tacoma as crews prepare to leave. Watch on air or here.
FEMA is mobilizing water rescue units from across the United States for assistance.
The death count in Houston from Tropical Storm Harvey is at five, the Houston Chronicle is reporting. Among them is a mother and her child who died in floodwaters on Interstate 10. The city and its southern neighbors were pummeled by thunderstorms overnightSaturday with a foot-plus of rain canvassing all areas of the city.
Gov. Greg Abbott told Fox News that damages will be in the billions of dollars statewide. No evacuations in Houston are in place, as Mayor Sylvester Turner said doing so would create a "nightmare." "You don't put 6.5 million people on the roads," he said at a press conference. Officials have reported performing at least 1,000 high-water rescues with thousands more needed as homes were inundated by water.
Cox Media Group
