VIDEO/PHOTOS: Technical rescue specialists from Southern Nevada came home and shared insights into what it was like to assist in flood-ravaged Central Texas for two weeks. Members of Nevada Task Force 1 spoke with reporters on Monday after returning to Las Vegas from their assignment in Kerr County. The 47-person team deployed on July 8 to help with search and rescue and recovery efforts for the catastrophic flooding that struck the community over the July 4 weekend. Matthew Gordon, the task force leader, said they arrived to find large devastation. He said the crew covered a total of 20-30 miles of the incident along the Guadalupe River. “There was debris everywhere — homes that had been destroyed, vehicles that had been destroyed,” Gordon said, “and just piles of materials from homes and trees and other things that had all been washed into various sections of the river.”
He added that the devastation was difficult to grasp until the Task Force arrived to witness it first-hand, but all of the first responders and volunteers on site made tremendous progress in clearing debris. Gordon praised the welcome they received from residents as well. All of the residents of Texas were so accommodating and appreciative of us being there, and they wanted to help us when in fact they were the ones who had suffered a loss,” he said. “And it was just kinda remarkable to see that human spirit. “Whenever there’s a disaster like something like this, you need to see how it brings the community together and everybody wants to be there for each other, to support us, to support the other responders and support each other.”
