Oklahoma Task Force 1 members return home after two weeks helping Texas flood recovery

Oklahoma Task Force 1’s first search and rescue team returned home. The team spent more than two weeks helping Texas recover from catastrophic flooding. 

Battalion chief with the Oklahoma City Fire Department and leader of Oklahoma Task Force 1, Derak Stewart, said little compares to the strength of floodwater. Stewart shared his experience about those 15 days.  

“It’s hard to even explain,” Stewart said. “It’s so powerful. It’s so dangerous. There’s so much debris. You cannot overcome it.”  

Oklahoma Task Force 1 included four members from the OKC Fire Department, one member from the Yukon Fire Department, and one member from the Norman Fire Department. The Texas Department of Emergency Management requested OKTF1 for assistance on July 5, and the team helped with recovery efforts until July 20. Stewart said photos and video didn’t do justice to the scope of the destruction. 

“It was amazing to see the force of all that water coming down the Guadalupe [River],” Stewart said. “You’re trying to navigate an area that you don’t really know. It makes it difficult.” 

OKCFD swift water rescue teams train at Riversport OKC to simulate real-world water conditions. Stewart said those experiences taught his colleagues the power of water. 

“We have some of the best training in the country,” Stewart said. “You learn that you’re not going to win versus the water. It will take you where it wants to take you. You just try to learn and train how to navigate that and how to best manage the situation to find a safe area.” 

Stewart said the size of the items in the debris path from trees to vehicles and even parts of homes illustrated the strength of the water. 

“The amount of water that pushed through the area was unbelievable as far as depth and power,” Stewart said. 

Six members from the Tulsa metro also paired up with Stewart’s team to offer additional support. 

“They were able to get some resources into the incident that were canine handlers,” Stewart said. “That allowed us to transition from a rescue group, if you will, and we went into the search and recovery side of things.”  

Stewart said the recovery effort slowed things down, and they understood the gravity of the situation. 

“That’s when you realize, you know, it kinda hits; this is a horrible situation,” Stewart said. 

However, Stewart pointed to his unit and various other search and rescue groups around the country, and all over the world, that helped Texas begin to heal. 

“It’s all about a large team working together to bring closure to everyone who’s affected,” Stewart said. “We’re in Kerrville Texas, and somebody across the parking lot says, ‘Boomer Sooner, thanks for coming to help.’ It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you do. You pull together and try to make things right.” 

Stewart said two Oklahoma task force teams will remain in Texas to help with additional recovery efforts.