A gaggle of volunteer firefighters from Mexico have been among the many folks serving to with the search-and-rescue mission within the aftermath of the floods that submerged Kerr County in central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend.
Fundación 911, a nonprofit that gives gear and coaching to fireside departments throughout Mexico, despatched a crew of 40 members to help native first responders. The group, primarily based out of the border metropolis of Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, was established in 2023.
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Within the morning of July 4, heavy rain brought on the waters of the Guadalupe River to quickly rise, resulting in lethal flash floods which have killed at the least 132 folks, with an extra 160 folks nonetheless lacking.
Ismael Aldaba, president and founding father of Fundación 911, instructed The Occasions that his group instantly mobilized volunteers from the Mexican states of Coahuila and Nuevo León upon studying of the devastation. Inside 12 hours, a bunch of 13 firefighters arrived in central Texas, with others becoming a member of them all through their time within the state.
Members of Fundacion 911 from Ciudad Acuna with Texas Sport Warden and Texas State Police working collectively in Hunt, Texas.
(Ismael Aldaba / Fundación 911)
“Once we learned [Kerr County was] affected, we knew we had to come down here. We knew this was a mission to come and help our brothers,” Aldaba stated.
The volunteers dispatched by Fundación 911 focus on rescuing folks from fast-moving water and are among the many few fireplace crews in Mexico with worldwide certification in swift water rescue. The group additionally introduced cadaver-detecting K9s to assist with the sphere search.
“We just [wanted] to make sure that we can work as fast as we can and try to make some headway with all the things we [had] to do,” Aldaba added.
Fundación 911 labored alongside 400 first responders and volunteers from numerous businesses and organizations.
“When you are doing search and rescue, the more people you have on the ground, the better,” Brien Alexander, chief of the Mountain House Fireplace Division instructed The Occasions.
Aldaba stated that his group felt the appreciation from Texas Hill Nation residents throughout their weeklong keep in Kerr County, including that the Mountain House Fireplace Division opened its doorways to their fireplace home and allow them to stick with them. Anyplace they went, from shops to eating places, group members wouldn’t let the volunteers from Mexico pay for something.
“There was an outpour of kindness from this area,” Aldaba stated. “It’s something we are not used to.”
“That is our culture. We Mexicans are always supportive and brotherly. What is reflected in firefighters who go and risk their lives is the essence of the Mexican people. It is humanism,” she stated in Spanish.
