Kerrville, Texas — With about 100 folks nonetheless lacking after devastating floods, the Texas Nationwide Guard and native officers main restoration efforts obtained further worldwide help this week when a specialised detachment from the Czech Republic arrived prepared to assist.
Sixteen civilians and 4 cadaver canine from a Czech search and rescue group landed Sunday in Texas on a U.S. army flight from Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Nationwide Guard Bureau Chief Normal Steve Nordhaus coordinated the group’s arrival and met the group leads in individual on Tuesday whereas he was visiting Kerrville, Texas, for updates on response efforts.
“Thanks for being right here, Texas and the Czech Republic have been companions proper from the start in 1993 and what simply a tremendous partnership,” Nordhaus informed the group leads on the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport.
The Texas and Nebraska Nationwide Guard have since 1993 shared a army relationship with the Czech Republic as a part of the Nationwide Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program that pairs states with international locations to coach collectively.
Eleanor Watson
There are over 100 partnerships with about 115 international locations world wide, in keeping with the Nationwide Guard, and the one with the Czech Republic was one of many first after the initiative started in 1991.
The Czechs offering help within the wake of floods in Texas follows help the Texas Nationwide Guard gave final 12 months when the Czech Republic skilled extreme flooding.
When a flood hit Ostrava within the Czech Republic in September 2024, a Texas Air Nationwide Guard unit coaching in Europe diverted an MQ-9 Reaper drone to Ostrava to offer aerial assessments for restoration efforts.
In Texas, about 230 members of the Texas Nationwide Guard are presently supporting response efforts. Based on the Texas Nationwide Guard, members of the guard rescued over 500 folks within the preliminary 24 hours after the flooding started. About 360 of these have been evacuated utilizing UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.
Throughout a Black Hawk flight over the Guadalupe River Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott identified to Nordhaus flood-impacted areas, explaining the place the water rose at a terrifying velocity — prompting pressing evacuations — and emphasizing how intensive the search will stay for the roughly 100 folks nonetheless unaccounted for.
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After the flight, each Abbott and Nordhaus spoke to members of the Guard who’ve assisted in rescue and restoration efforts for the reason that floods started on July 4.
One of many air rescues got here on July 4 when two Guard helicopters evacuated 130 youngsters from Camp Mystic, a summer time camp severely impacted by floods that led to the deaths of no less than 27 campers and counselors.
The 130 rescued the day of the flood by the guard have been evacuated from Camp Mystic and brought to greater floor, in keeping with Captain Connor Garrison, who led one of many plane and recounted the mission to Nordhaus and Abbott.
“I respect you, I could not be prouder,” Abbott informed Garrison and different members of the Guard.
The Texas Nationwide Guard is receiving help from different states like Arkansas, Arizona and North Dakota, that are offering further personnel or tools. As an example, North Dakota has despatched down one among its personal MQ-9 Reaper drones to assist survey particles scattered alongside the nonetheless swollen Guadalupe River.
