COLUMBIA, S.C.
— After two weeks of intense deployment,
South Carolina Task Force 1
has returned home from Texas, where they provided critical support in
flood recovery operations
along the
Guadalupe River in Kerr County
. The team, which included five personnel and
two human remains detection K-9s
, arrived back at the
South Carolina State Fire campus on Wednesday
.
Multi-State Flood Rescue Collaboration
The South Carolina crew joined forces with similar response units from
Oklahoma and Colorado
, working alongside Texas officials to conduct
search and recovery missions
in severely impacted flood zones. Their assignment was part of a broader multi-agency response effort following significant flood damage in central Texas.
The SC team included members from several agencies:
-
Greenville County EMS
-
Lexington County Fire Service
-
SC State Fire
-
SC Foothills Search & Rescue
Their expertise in water-based search and rescue, combined with the use of specialized K-9 teams, was vital in locating missing individuals and assisting local authorities with damage assessments.
Governor McMaster’s Deployment and Message of Solidarity
South Carolina Governor
Henry McMaster
authorized the deployment in early July in response to a direct request from
Texas Governor Greg Abbott
. Gov. McMaster emphasized the spirit of mutual aid between the two states:
“Team South Carolina stands ready to offer any support we can,” McMaster stated. “In some of our toughest moments, the people of Texas were there for us. Now, it’s our duty to return that support and stand by our friends in their time of need.”
That statement referenced Texas’s prior assistance to South Carolina following
Hurricane Halene in 2024
, when emergency crews from Texas helped with storm response and recovery operations across the Lowcountry and Midlands.
A Tradition of Mutual Aid and Service
SC Task Force 1 is part of the
Palmetto Incident Support Team network
, often deployed to disaster zones both in and out of state. Their mission includes
search and rescue
,
technical assistance
, and
specialized K-9 operations
.
The return of the unit this week marks the conclusion of a highly coordinated mission that underscores the value of
interstate cooperation in times of crisis
.
More information about the deployment can be found in
WCBD’s full report
.
Do you have stories of South Carolina responders making a difference? Send them to the Saluda Standard-Sentinel and help spotlight our state’s everyday heroes.
