Texas Task Force 1 prepares for Edouard
With Tropical Storm Edouard approaching the Texas coast and expected to make landfall as a possible hurricane by Tuesday morning, Texas Task Force 1 has been activated by the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management.
All of the state’s urban search and rescue operations will be coordinated by the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). Among the search and rescue assets being readied for Edouard:
A 70-person, Type-1 heavy rescue team
A wide-area flood task force with 8 swiftwater rescue teams
6 helicopter rescue specialists
Tactical Joint Air-Ground Coordination Team
Liaison officers in the State Operations Center, in the Texas Military Forces Joint Operations Center at Camp Mabry, and with the Disaster District Chair in Houston
Texas Task Force 1 will pre-stage its assets today in the Houston area, working in tandem with the National Weather Service and the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management to ensure all urban search and rescue equipment and personnel are strategically positioned and ready to assist any cities or counties requesting search and rescue assistance following Edouard’s impact.
About Texas Task Force 1
Texas Task Force 1 is sponsored by the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) and is comprised of more than 400 personnel representing more than 60 jurisdictions and agencies from across the state of Texas, and is one of 28 teams in the national urban search and rescue system under FEMA. Texas Task Force 1 and TEEX coordinate statewide requests for search and rescue. TEEX and the Task Force are headquartered in College Station.
About the Texas Engineering Extension Service
TEEX, a member of The Texas A&M University System, offers hands-on, customized first responder training, homeland security exercises, technical assistance and technology transfer services impacting Texas and beyond. TEEX programs include fire services, homeland security, law enforcement, public works, safety and health, search and rescue, and economic development.