Texas Military Department Responds to Flood Disasters with 230 Service Members

Texas Military Department's Flood Response Operations

• 🎯 230 personnel from the Texas Military Department are actively engaged in flood operations across Texas.
• 🚁 The department is utilizing eight helicopters and an increased number of high-profile military vehicles for rescue and evacuation efforts.
• 🗺️ Operations have expanded beyond Curville to include personnel in San Saba and Barnett.

Enhanced Support and Coordination

• 🤝 Resources have been bolstered with the addition of a behavioral health officer and chaplains in Curville and San Saba.
• 🌐 The state's air operations center has been expanded to ensure efficient coordination of air assets across multiple agencies.
• ✈️ An MQ9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft has been deployed from Houston to provide persistent aerial surveillance and assessment for search and rescue teams.

FAA Support for Critical Missions

• ⚠️ The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted a temporary flight restriction at a lower altitude, enabling the MQ9 Reaper to safely transit and operate in the Curville area.
• ⚡ This crucial FAA authorization allowed the aircraft to overcome weather-related transit challenges at higher altitudes.

Rescue and Evacuation Statistics

• 🌊 The Texas Military Department has completed a total of 525 rescues or evacuations.
• 💨 Of these, 366 were conducted by air and 159 by ground.
• 📍 Specific ground evacuations in San Saba (20) and air evacuations in Barnett (5) were highlighted.