Members of Alabama Task Force 3 return to North Alabama after being deployed to Texas.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Members of Alabama Task Force 3 have returned home safely following a multi-agency deployment to Texas to assist with widespread flooding efforts.

The nine-member urban search and rescue team initially deployed as part of Alabama’s broader response to severe weather and flooding across the Texas Hill Country. After arriving in the region, the crew was relocated near Laredo to Zapata, Texas, positioned along the U.S. – Mexico border to monitor potential downstream flooding from the Rio Grande.



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Alabama Task Force 3 Team Lead Ryan Hambrick, who also serves with the Fort Payne Fire Department, said the team staged near the Falcon Reservoir in preparation for rising waters.

“We were deployed there because of flooding threats from the Rio Grande,” Hambrick said. “Fortunately, that area had been under a drought. … The reservoir was around 20% full when we arrived. Luckily, when the floodwaters did get there, all they did was fill the reservoir up.”

While staged in Zapata, the Alabama crew teamed up with Missouri Task Force 1, a federal urban search and rescue team. Together, they deployed boats and conducted reconnaissance along key waterways to assess areas of potential concern.

“As we were staged in the area, we did not get to perform any live rescues, but we were staged if the situation did change,” Hambrick explained. “Overall, it was a very good experience for our team.”

The deployed field crew included nine first responders from three North Alabama departments:

Fort Payne Fire Department (4 members)

Guntersville Fire/Rescue (3 members)

Cullman Fire Rescue (2 members)

Additional administrative and logistical coordination throughout the mission was provided by Decatur Fire & Rescue, Madison Fire and Rescue and the Marshall County Emergency Management Agency.

Tasked with handling complex emergency scenarios ranging from swiftwater operations to structural collapses and trench rescues, Alabama Task Force 3 operates through the Alabama Mutual Aid System. Members are deployed locally or nationally based on state Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) requests.

All members of the task force have returned to North Alabama and resumed normal duty with their respective home departments.