Task Force 1 mission continues in aftermath of Texas floods
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Task Force 1, a search and rescue team based in Columbia at the Boone County Fire District, has been busy helping in the aftermath of the floods that have killed scores in Texas.
However, the group’s spokesman, Boone County Fire Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp, has been limited in the information that he can divulge due to state government rules, Blomenkamp and a FEMA spokesperson told ABC 17 News.
Blomenkamp spoke Thursday with anchor Jazsmin Halliburton about the team’s missions in the Kerrville, Texas, area.
Jazsmin Halliburton: Now Chief Gale, I appreciate you for joining us this afternoon, but what are you able to tell us about the team’s mission currently in Kerville, Texas?
Gale Blomenkamp: Yeah, so I can tell you that we were activated on Monday. We left Boone County on Monday evening. We arrived in Texas late Tuesday night. We received our first mission assignment on Wednesday morning and we had crews in the field assisting with the search and rescue efforts in Kerr County on Wednesday afternoon.
They continued that search and rescue missions and recovery issues yesterday and they’re back out there this morning doing what they can to help the citizens of Texas.
Halliburton: We’re very grateful that you guys are going to be able to be out there and to assist however you can. And I know considering the course of information that we learned from FEMA and the amount of information that’s a little bit more limited, does that make your job not only as the public information officer for Task Force 1, does that make other people’s jobs for other task force that’s also helping as well?
Blomenkamp: I think it’s important that we are able to share the good deeds that our citizens from Missouri are doing down there to help the citizens of Texas and you know it’s above my pay grade. So I can’t sit here and second-guess that. I just understand what their wishes are and that’s what we’re gonna do, but, I’m gonna work my hardest to keep the citizens around here up informed and updated what we’re doing and, and again we’re out in the field today. We’re doing our best work. Of course.
Halliburton: Now for this amount of limited information that will be shared, do you know if this is just centered around the state of Texas or will this be for future missions that the task force goes on?
Blomenkamp: I believe it’s very centric to what we’re doing with this mission. It is very difficult for the citizens of Texas. It’s a, it’s a huge loss for that state, and it’s very tragic. And so I just think they’re being very cautious. They don’t want something to get out there that doesn’t need to be out there.
But as far as what our team’s doing, we continue to work for them. We will do whatever is asked of us, and we will continue that mission until we’re sent home.
Halliburton: Is there anything else that you would like to add or for people to know about just keep people in their thoughts and prayers, especially those affected by the storms?
Blomenkamp: Thank you to all the employers to let their people go and their family members for letting them take off for Texas.