NORTH ALABAMA — Two groups of North Alabama emergency responders left Friday for Texas, where heavy rain and flash flooding have killed two people and forced hundreds of rescues. The deployments come from Alabama Task Force 3 and Alabama Task Force 6 and will place local crews in the San Antonio area to support search, rescue and related operations for about a week.
Who is going and where they'll report
Alabama Task Force 3 is sending nine members drawn from Cullman Fire Rescue, the Fort Payne Fire Department and Guntersville Fire Rescue. Alabama Task Force 6 is providing seven responders from Florence Fire Rescue. The teams will report to the San Antonio area, where incident commanders will assign them to water rescues or other flood-related duties.
- Deployment length: approximately one week
- Primary mission: water rescues and flood recovery support
- Receiving area: San Antonio area, Texas
Scope of the Texas flooding
Recent rains have produced catastrophic local impacts. Officials say about 28 inches of rain fell in Uvalde County over three days. The flooding has resulted in at least two confirmed deaths and prompted hundreds of rescue operations. Forecasts at the time of the deployment warned of additional rain on Friday, prolonging the risk for affected communities.
| Task Force | Number of responders | Home departments |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama Task Force 3 | 9 | Cullman Fire Rescue; Fort Payne Fire Department; Guntersville Fire Rescue |
| Alabama Task Force 6 | 7 | Florence Fire Rescue |
These deployments reflect mutual-aid arrangements that allow state and local teams to move quickly to support areas experiencing large-scale emergencies. For North Alabama communities, sending crews means sacrificing local surge capacity temporarily, but it also underscores ongoing interstate cooperation when weather disasters exceed local resources.
Residents with family or friends in the affected Texas areas should monitor official channels for evacuation orders and flood advisories. Those wanting to support response efforts typically can contribute through established relief organizations; local fire departments do not recommend sending unsolicited donations directly to responding crews.
The incoming teams are expected to receive assignments upon arrival in the San Antonio area and to operate under the incident command structure there for the duration of the deployment.
