KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Task Force 1 left Columbia, Missouri, Monday evening for Kerr County, Texas, to support search and rescue operations after a flooding disaster that's killed more than 100 people.
The task force was activated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a news release from Missouri Task Force 1.
The specialized 50-member squad, including two Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department firefighters, left from the Boone County Fire District Headquarters in Columbia.
Tuesday afternoon, the team will meet up with the Colorado Task Force 1 to begin operations, including swift water rescues and human remains detection.
Deployment is expected to last up to two weeks.
"Missouri Task Force 1 is an elite FEMA urban search and rescue team made up of firefighters, paramedics, physicians, structural engineers, canine handlers, and technical experts from across Missouri," MO-TF1 said in a news release. "Equipped to operate in challenging and hazardous environments, the team provides capabilities in search, rescue, medical care, logistics, wide area search, and incident management."
NBC News reports at least 104 people have been killed across six counties as a result of the devastating floods.
Officials said the majority were killed in Kerr County — 56 adults and 28 children.
The devastating floods in central Texas have left families and communities in urgent need of support. Scripps News Group and the Scripps Howard Fund are partnering to provide critical relief to those impacted. Every dollar donated will support local organizations with relief efforts.
This campaign is a Scripps News Group initiative in collaboration with the Scripps Howard Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions to this campaign are tax deductible.
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