“What stands out to me is just how Texas is so strong, how they responded to this in such a short time. Not just state agencies, but also for people on to patrol of canine units. People from all over were there to do whatever to get those people back to normal the best they could…" – Risk Battalion Chief Adam Perry, Amarillo Fire Department
Rescue Battalion Chief Adam Perry with Amarillo Fire Department was part of a four-member team who recently traveled to Kerrville in Central Texas, where massive floods struck on the 4th of July, killing more than 100 people.
Perry, a 25-year-veteran of the fire department, has seen his share of disasters, including 9/11, where he helped serve food with a volunteer group that normally worked on grass fires. The group with the TIFMAS (Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System) All-Hazards assignment stayed 14 days in Kerrville, helping the distressed area and people.
Perry said that they got the call on the 6th of July for a top one engine. Like any mass destruction event, a camera doesn’t do it justice and can’t capture the magnitude of the disaster. “The destruction was unbelievable, even at night, and it was right along the river. We were basically looking at tops of power lines and in the trees because the water rose so high. We saw houses displaced that were a long way from the river,” he said.
Perry said the Amarillo crew work was assigned a zero-risk operation at night, not working with chainsaws and climbing on piles of debris. “What we would do is walk around areas that were safe to walk in, looking for people or animals," he said. "We started on the river and moved our way down using spotlights, headlamps and generator lighting from the trucks."
After being there four days, the Amarillo team was assigned to the Ingram Volunteer Fire Station. “My truck was specifically to cover the Ingrid Fire Station. They had lost their captain a couple of days after the tragedy," Perry said. "He had passed away at home from a medical emergency. They had been out there working tirelessly since the event began, so they needed a break.” Perry said local staff also needed to attend their captain’s funeral, so the Amarillo team covered the station and ran their 911 calls.
“We cleaned their station, cleaned all their apparatus to help them get ready for the funeral. We also organized truckloads of supplies they had received. There were over 200 people in their station every day. Volunteers that showed up were doing anything they could to help,” he said. “When something like that happens to a station, it can be tough.”
Texas has an Interstate Fire Mutual Aid System that, whenever something happens, the fire stations from all over the state come together to make one big operation successful.
Perry said that the biggest concern was locating any survivors first — and then afterwards, the victims. “We were just trying to help the community get back on their feet,” he said. “There were a lot of resources for the community to help them with any needs they would have — clothing, housing, whatever."
Perry said when they left, the total of victims had gone from 160 to still three missing. The team was relieved by another Amarillo team after 17 days, and that new group is still there covering the Ingram volunteer station – covering their 911 responses and helping them get back on their feet. The other group will probably be there for a full two weeks and will be back on the Aug. 21.
“What stands out to me is just how Texas is so strong, how they responded to this in such a short time," Perry said. "Not just state agencies, but also for people on to patrol of canine units. People from all over were there to do whatever to get those people back to normal the best they could … volunteers, people coming from all around to help and volunteer and to offer their heavy equipment. A lot of them lost everything – family members and homes. There was a lot of pain from such a life changing event."
"In addition, a lot of the community offered their bed and breakfast or home for us to stay in," he assed. "We stayed in a hotel in Fredericksburg."
"We are public servants. We signed up to serve in times of need," Perry said. "Whenever we show up, we’re there to try and make a difference, to make the situation better than it was — if that means searching for people, battling fire or making meals or helping in car wrecks."
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo team helped Kerrville with search and rescue after flooding
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