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Oklahoma City Fire Crews Return After 17-Day Flood Rescue Mission in New Mexico
Oklahoma Task Force One spent more than two weeks rescuing people and livestock from devastating New Mexico floods, traveling over 3,000 miles before returning home this week.
OKLAHOMA CITY â A team of Oklahoma City firefighters is back home after a 17-day deployment to New Mexico, where they rescued residents and livestock stranded by severe flooding that swept through the state last month.
Oklahoma Task Force One, the urban search-and-rescue team operated by the Oklahoma City Fire Department, covered more than 3,000 miles across New Mexico during the mission, according to department officials. The team returned to Oklahoma City this week.
Lt. Josh Pearcy, who led the crew, described the conditions they encountered as fast-moving and dangerous.
"It's a devastating situation. Lots and lots of water very fast," Pearcy said. "In most of the floods, we deal with household pets, oftentimes cats and dogs. New Mexico, it's a little different. Lots of goats, a lot of livestock that were in flooded areas, so we moved a lot of goats and several cows."
Crews returned to flooded properties several days later to feed the animals they had relocated, Pearcy said.
The mission did not end when the waters receded. Team members stayed on to conduct damage assessments and help families re-enter their homes and recover belongings.
"After the flooding, we do a lot of damage assessment and just helping people get back to their house and belongings," Pearcy said.
The New Mexico terrain posed challenges distinct from the flooding Oklahoma crews typically face, he said.
"Very filled with trees and debris from the desert. A little bit different, where here, a lot of times we get widespread flooding where we can run the motors, and we have water here maybe two miles at times. There, it's not nearly as wide, just very, very fast," Pearcy said.
Pearcy credited the department's training regimen for the team's readiness.
"We have some of the best equipment and great training," he said. "We're allowed to train a lot, and so we have a pretty high level of skills to pull from."
The deployment underscores the growing role of regional search-and-rescue teams as extreme weather events intensify across the Southwest. Oklahoma Task Force One is one of several FEMA-affiliated teams that can be activated for disasters outside the state.
The floods also hit close to home for some Oklahomans. An Oklahoma City native was trapped for hours in New Mexico floodwaters before being rescued, and at least one local family lost everything in the disaster.
Oklahoma City Fire Department officials said the team is now back in service and available for local emergencies.