Sixteen members of Missouri Task Force One returned to Columbia Thursday after a 20-day deployment to North Carolina to assist with clean-up efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Thursday’s MO-TF1 group was the second team returning. The first team returned to Columbia Wednesday and a third team was set to return Friday.
Gale Blomenkamp is the Assistant Chief of Boone County Fire District. He says there were numerous challenges the team faced.
"I mean safety challenges, access issues, you name it,” said Blomenkamp. “That was an all-hazards type of incident and response. And the hazards that they faced and the challenges that they faced were enormous and very demanding but the crew did a great job.”
“The destruction and the large debris piles that they had to work through and just the hazards itself was challenging,” said Blomenkamp. “But there’s some sense of pride in being able to do that.”
Alex Szpatoski was part of the team and says the devastation meant the team spent time in the water: “Some of the time we were in boats, and lots of times we were walking the riverbanks and stuff like that.”
The team worked predominately in North Carolina’s McDowell and Avery Counties.
Planning Team Manager Chuck Doss says the team worked around debris piles, mud running in from the landslides, flooding and mountainous terrain.
Doss said on the first day in North Carolina the team was sent to rescue an individual trapped in a house. Doss says the house had been swept off the hillside and pushed against the trees. It had been there for a couple of days.
“Right out the door, as soon as we arrive, we just go out there and assist an Indiana team with rescuing that individual from the house,” said Doss.
Doss says the deployment took a big toll on the family and it did for his wife and three daughters.
"I know at least for my kids, at least just hearing my voice and seeing me made them a little bit easier.”
Doss said the length of the deployment was also difficult.
“It was rough with soccer games and softball games and school field trips and everything else. I got a phone call a little before noon, and I went home. ‘Okay, honey, I'll see you in a couple of days.’ And that was 20 days later, 20 days ago.”
Throughout their deployment, the team conducted wide area searches, assessing damage and seeing if there were any victims to locate. In the last couple of days, the team’s mission shifted to looking in and tearing apart debris piles with help from dogs.
Doss said the debris can be dangerous: “They can be very unstable, hard to work around. We’re not sure what's in those so we take our time very slow, very methodical in removing those.”
But the most memorable part for Doss about the deployment was how welcoming the citizens were toward the team.
“There’s these people that have just experienced this disaster and have all of this damage and they’re pouring out stuff to us,” said Doss. “They’re asking us, what do we need?”
Blomenkamp says the team could not have done this without support from families and employers.
“To go out there and spend 20-plus days in North Carolina for a disaster is a lot to ask of an employer,” Blomenkamp said. “It’s obviously a lot to ask of a family to be without their loved one for long. So, you know, we appreciate that and without their support, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”
Four Human Remains Detection K9 Teams that are part of the task force remain in North Carolina.
