39 Illinois rescuers return home after assisting in Texas deadly flooding

Illinois task force returns from Texas

An Illinois task force that lent a helping hand following the devastating flooding in central Texas is now back home.

ILLINOIS - An Illinois Urban Search and Rescue team went to Texas last weekend to assist after the deadly flooding earlier this month. The firefighters said this mission has been physically and mentally challenging.

What we know:

A group of 39 rescuers from fire departments across Illinois went to Texas. They were scheduled to be there for up to 14 days. The individuals are part of the Mutual Aid Box System as USAR Task Force 1.

Close to two dozen states have sent search and rescue teams to Texas. 

Gov. JB Pritzker directed the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security to activate the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is a mutual aid agreement among states to provide assistance across state lines during emergencies and disasters, in order to send the team to Texas.

Lieutenant Jim Loehman of the Lisle Woodridge Fire District and rescue squad officer has been deployed to other disasters in the past, but nothing like he's encountered here.

"The floods were devastating, absolutely devastating the trees and debris and the environment in which we had to work with at that area was mentally and physically challenging," Loehman said.

The number of missing individuals in Kerr County has fallen from more than 100 to 3 people, a credit to those determined search and rescue professionals who are literally leaving no stone unturned in an effort to bring everyone to safety.

"We're operating on the river systems currently and we spread out in different squads depending on the topography," Loehman said. "Eight to 14-man squads today we doubled the squads up because of the difficulty of the area that we had to search, and we are walking a line and uncovering debris and finding where debris piles and that's where you are going to find things."

Illinois team in Texas: Week 2

In Texas search and rescue teams from all over the country continue to battle debris and the elements after torrential flooding hit earlier this month

Oppressive heat and humidity have made rescue efforts that much more challenging.

"The heat down here in Texas while you drink water until you're not thirsty and when you're not thirsty you keep on drinking water," Loehman said. "We have to stay on top of it for each other. It is extremely hot. It is extremely humid and at the end of the day, it's very good to get this long-sleeve shirt off."

If all goes according to plan, Loehman and his team are scheduled to return to Chicago later this week, but he brings back with him a lasting image of the devastation and an appreciation for what awaits him at home.

"I have a son and two little girls at home and throughout searching I came across the identical dress that my youngest daughter has," Loehman said. "And if that doesn't hit you in the gut as to what this community has experienced, that I will never forget."

What they're saying:

"This nationwide mutual aid agreement allows states to share resources and personnel during emergencies, and tasks for this operation include wide-area search and rescue as well as debris pile clearance. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating tragedy and hope we can be of service," IEMA-OHA Acting Director Theodore Berger said.

"Just as many towns, cities, and counties in Illinois have agreements to assist each other in times of disaster, states have agreements to do the same," Berger said.

The return home:

The task force returned to Illinois on Saturday. 

They have been in Kerr County, Texas for the past couple of weeks, aiding search and rescue efforts.

More than 130 people were killed, including more than 30 children, after torrential rain caused the Guadalupe River to overflow on July 4.
The task force has responded to other flood disasters before, but they say they hadn't seen anything quite like what they saw in Texas.

"I've been on previous flood deployments, and I've seen the effects on the community. This was something I've never witnessed before," Loehman said. "Absolute devastation to the environment, the families, the community. Words, pictures, video cannot do it justice."

"The impact we made, it was noted by almost every member that we came across," Technical Information Specialist Humza Shamsuddin said. "Whether they were part of the response or they were community members. The amount of appreciation, people recognizing what we were down there to do was so humbling that that was the affirmation."

The team also says they wouldn't have been able to do their work if it wasn't for their families taking care of things at home.