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In a video on social media, a first responder uses a chainsaw to unearth what appear to be impenetrable planks under a thick layer of mud. Other men from his team look on expectantly.
In another video a man is submerged in deep water standing astride on what appears to be the top of a small structure—the roof of a small house or trailer. At the edge of the water, other rescuers look on as two dogs pace and sniff the air.
A 13-person crew composed of members from the Rescate Acuático de Protección Civil y Bomberos de Acuña, Coahuila, in coordination with Fundación 911, joined local Texas firefighters in the rescue efforts following the devastating flash floods in the Texas Hill Country.
The floods in Texas have claimed the lives of over 100 people. More than 160 people are still missing.
Ismael Aldaba is the president of Fundación 911. He said that even though he and others on these teams have a wealth of experience, the situation on the ground in the Hill Country is something beyond what he has seen before. “Our guys have experienced [missions] worldwide. They’ve been traveling to earthquakes. They’ve been traveling to tsunamis in other parts of the world,” he said. “This is way different. This is the worst we’ve seen.”
Although the brigade arrived with all the equipment required to respond to the extreme emergency that arose from the heavy rains of July 4, which caused the Guadalupe River to overflow, there are many obstacles for the rescuers, including high water and massive areas of debris.
To complicate the issue, they are also among the area's residents who are trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild their homes and lives. “We’re pretty much looking for signs of life,” said Aldaba “in an area that people are still living [in] … and “trying to get back on their feet,” he said.
The Mexican teams and others from Mexico are being coordinated by the Mountain Home Fire Department, a combination career and volunteer fire department that operates from multiple stations and responds to medical and fire emergencies, as well as specialized rescue situations like the ones occurring in Texas.
Aldaba said that more teams from Mexico were expected to assist on Wednesday and that five more K9 teams would be deployed.
“[Mountain Home Fire Department] will sectorize the areas we need to start looking at,” said Aldaba. So it’s going to be where they’re working and where they have command and will be directing these [search and rescue] dogs.”
The team from Acuña is highly trained. They carry specialized equipment to cope with extreme search conditions in flooded areas and in dangerous currents.
They have participated in similar missions both nationally and internationally. “Our teams are swift water rescue techs,” Aldaba said. “They’re instructors. They’re ground search and rescue guys. We have guys that work on collapsed buildings. We have guys that have a lot of [experience] in cadaver detection.”
In her daily press conference on Tuesday morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised the Mexican teams for their hard work in Texas and named the members of the team from Acuña.
This is part of who we are as Mexicans," Sheinbaum said in Spanish in her address. "The sense of solidarity and brotherhood characterizes us and must always characterize us. No matter the circumstances, Mexicans lend a hand to those who suffer, to those left behind."
Although their support has already contributed to the recovery efforts, Aldaba said that it remains to be seen how long the Mexican rescue teams will remain in the Texas area.
“We’re going to continue to work,” said Aldaba. “We can try to help as much as we can.”
