MCCOY, Texas \u2013 Texas Game Wardens are incorporating lessons learned from the devastating Hill Country floods into their K-9 training programs, as the search for two missing people continues months after the disaster.<\/p>\n
Texas Game Wardens and their K-9 partners were among the first responders on the scene when the Guadalupe River flooded near Hunt on July 4. <\/p>\n
The teams searched through massive debris fields and challenging terrain in efforts to locate victims, including Jeffrey Ramsey and Cecilia Steward.<\/p>\n
Ramsey and Steward have still not been located.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the worst thing that we\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d said Texas Game Warden Dustin Fleming, who responded with his 3-year-old K-9 partner Piper from their station just 21 miles away in Kerrville.<\/p>\n
Fleming and Piper, along with other K-9 teams, covered approximately eight miles along the Guadalupe River during their five-day search operation.<\/p>\n
Initially focused on locating potential survivors, the teams later shifted their mission as days passed.<\/p>\n
The scale of destruction presented significant challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of debris fields, large, large debris fields 20 to 30 feet tall,\u201d said Texas Game Warden Isaac Ruiz.<\/p>\n
Now, during their latest training sessions, the K-9 teams are developing new skills based on their experience responding to floods. They\u2019re specifically working on helping their dogs overcome water barriers and navigate complex debris fields.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want the dogs to know that even if water\u2019s barricading them from the target, which is a missing person, we want them to be able to cross it or learn how to find their way around it,\u201d said Game Warden K-9 Handler Royce Ilse.<\/p>\n
The teams are focusing on creating realistic training environments that mirror actual disaster conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting in different training areas, maybe finding those areas where there are large debris piles, working through that and creating a realistic environment where those skill sets are applicable to the next tragic event that takes place in Texas,\u201d Fleming said.<\/p>\n
During the Hill Country floods, the K-9 teams faced additional hazards, including exposed nails and metal debris throughout their search areas, highlighting the need for enhanced safety protocols in their training regimen.<\/p>\n
More Hill Country flood coverage on KSAT<\/p>\n
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