LIVE OAK COUNTY, Texas (KOLN) – Nebraska Task Force 1 is continuing to work alongside Live Oak County and Texas state emergency management officials ahead of potential flooding in the Nueces River Basin. According to NE-TF1, forecasts indicate the basin will see flooding within the next few days.
Since arriving on Monday, NE-TF1 crews have conducted daily reconnaissance of the waterways, rivers, and creeks. They are identifying hazards and confirming access routes for emergency vehicles and rescue craft. Crews are establishing baseline conditions by tracking river and creek gauge readings.
Crews have gone door to door to explain flood risks, record information and note whether anyone would need additional help evacuating.
NE-TF1 has built and maintained a Search and Rescue Common Operating Picture for the Live Oak County operational area, sharing information with county emergency management and TDEM.
Aerial imagery, collected by ESF-13’s unmanned aircraft systems crews, has been used to gather additional information. NE-TF1 has also produced flood inundation mapping showing which paths and structures are likely to be affected.
Swiftwater and boat rescue teams remain positioned based on the access routes and staging locations identified through reconnaissance. A rapid-response crew is on standby 24 hours a day.
NE-TF1 continues to monitor river and creek conditions in the basin.
“Our job right now is to make sure that when conditions change, nobody in this county is caught off guard,” said Ashley Engler, deployed NE-TF1 task force leader. “Every household we’ve talked to, every route we’ve checked, every map we’ve built is about buying our first responders and this community time. We’d rather do that work now, while the water is still low, than try to catch up once it isn’t.”
NE-TF1 is working with the Live Oak County’s emergency management structure, coordinating daily with county officials, TDEM, FEMA’s Incident Support Team, local fire departments and local law enforcement.
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