Governor Newsom announces additional crews to assist Texas search and rescue operations

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the deployment of an additional 18 highly skilled Urban Search and Rescue Team members to Texas to assist with ongoing response efforts related to severe flooding impacts.

The deployment includes a total of four units of Human Remains Detection (HRD) Teams, which also include a total of eight canines. The deployed teams are from the Los Angeles County, Riverside City, Menlo Park and Orange County Fire Departments.   

The 18 Urban Search and Rescue Team members sent today are in addition to the 9 members deployed yesterday from Riverside City and Oakland City

During this deployment to Texas, California personnel will use their highly-developed and specialized skills to assist emergency operations in and around the hardest hit areas based on priorities and direction of state and local officials to assist with search and rescue operations.  In close coordination with Texas and through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is deploying these crews.

“Cal OES deploys these experienced teams to help those in need in Texas,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. “These search and rescue professionals have the training needed to navigate extreme conditions.”

Potential exists for additional flood impacts in the area. California stands ready to send additional resources as requested.

Since 1992, California-based resources have been deployed to a long list of state, national, and even international disasters including 2017’s Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, 1992 Hurricane Iniki (Hawaii), the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the September 11, 2001 attacks, the World Trade Center, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Ian, the Camp Fire in Paradise, the Oklahoma City Bombing, and the Montecito Mudslides.

This deployment does not impact California’s emergency response and firefighting capabilities.