America is awesome: Task forces from ALL OVER the U.S. deploy to Texas to assist with Harvey relief

Task forces from many states are being deployed to select parts of Texas to assist with the relief effort needed in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Joint #FDNY #NYPD USAR NY Task Force-1 deployed to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey https://t.co/YmkzNZa2n0 pic.twitter.com/fLAlScgbEO

— FDNY (@FDNY) August 27, 2017

Here is a statement from the New York City Fire Department’s Facebook page about its joint task force with the New York Police Department:

“The New York Task Force-1 team is a compilation of FDNY and NYPD members, all from Special Operations. We’re being deployed from New York City to Texas to help in rescue and recovery. We are set to stage in San Antonio and we’re going to await orders depending on the severity of the damage. We are set up for all types of rescues, including swiftwater rescues. We have a compilation of tools that include boats, motors, dry suits, rescue equipment for collapsed structures, rope equipment for confined spaces, and a large compilation of Haz-Mat equipment and tools. We’re also supplied with a large, self-sufficient cache of food and supplies that make us sustainable for up to 72 hours in a row. I believe we’re ready to face any danger,” says FDNY Battalion Chief Jack Flatley, Task Force Leader of New York City’s elite Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) NY Task Force-1, which was deployed in the early hours of Sunday, August 27, to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey. The team is comprised of FDNY and NYPD members trained to respond to catastrophic events, and it has been activated in the past to assist with emergency response throughout the world, including Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. In 2016, the team rescued/removed over 100 people affected by Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina. FDNY Rescue Paramedic Silvana Uzcategui says, “We are trained to save lives before patients are extricated from natural or man-made disasters. Our role in Texas is to provide medical care, to take care of civilians and the task force members. We’re in the disaster zone. We’re expecting torrential rains, winds, floods, and chaotic conditions. We’re ready for it.”