As the reality of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene settles in for residents on the east coast, 45 Coloradans are doing their part to aid in search and rescue efforts.
“I kind of feel like the coach of an all-star team,” said Bob Olme, program manager for Colorado Task Force 1. “I just have to get out of the way and let 'em do their stuff because they are that good. They do a great job and do, not only the task force proud, but Colorado proud.”
The CO-TF1 team has been operating out of Lakewood through West Metro Fire Rescue since 1991. They are one of 28 US&R Task Forces nationwide under the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Urban Search & Rescue Response System. Fifteen of those teams have been deployed this week to help with Hurricane Helene.
As of Monday morning, the death toll from the storm had climbed into the triple digits, though North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he expects the figure to rise as emergency workers reach more isolated areas.
CO-TF1 is made up of people from dozens of agencies along the Front Range and civilians with special skills. The group that deployed Sept. 25 includes search and rescue, logistics, hazmat and canine teams. The canines on the team are highly trained, with the ability to ride on boats, climb ladders and use their sense of smell to find people.
The task force is operating in an area just north of Asheville, North Carolina called Crooked Creek, where more than a foot-and-a-half of rain fell, flooding streets, businesses and homes.
“Lots of access issues, lots of trees down. They have to assess every bridge they come across because there was some undermining due to the amount of water. So they're working slow and diligently to get through this area with search and rescue operations,” said Olme.
Among the challenges the team is facing is a lack of cell and internet connectivity because the storm knocked out wires across the area. Olme says morale seems high, but it’s a race against time to help residents who are trapped or in need of medical assistance.
CO-TF1 says the best place to help those affected by the storm is through The Red Cross.
“It is extremely devastating. People lost everything and may not even be able to find anything because of the amount of damage the water costs. So they're going to need help,” said Olme.
The process to join CO-TF1 as a civilian is competitive. To learn more, you can visit westmetrofire.org.
Here are the Colorado agencies part of the task force:
- Arvada Fire
- Aurora Fire
- Black Forest Fire
- Castle Rock Fire
- Colorado Springs Fire
- Denver Fire
- Fort Carson Fire
- Fort Lupton Fire
- Fredrick Firestone Fire
- Greely Fire
- Summit Fire and EMS
- Longmont Fire
- Loveland Fire Rescue Authority
- Mountain View Fire
- North Metro Fire
- Platte Valley Fire
- Poudre Fire Authority
- Pueblo Fire
- Red, White and Blue Fire
- South Metro Fire
- Thornton Fire
- Westminster Fire
- Windsor Fire
