Coal County Search and Rescue Task Force deploys to North Carolina

Four members of the Coal County Search and Rescue Task Force were deployed at 8:00 a.m., Friday, September 14, to assist Oklahoma Task Force 1 with rescue efforts for Hurricane Florence. At deployment time, they did not know where they would be assigned. They met up with the Oklahoma Task Force at Webbers Falls later that morning, and together the two teams headed toward the Carolinas.

The next morning, September 15, the team arrived at Greensboro, NC, and then headed to the staging area at Raleigh to receive their assignment and begin rescues. Their first assignment was Kinston, NC. Since that time, their rescue efforts have been in Robeson County, NC, in the Lumberton and Pembroke areas.

On Sunday, September 16, Coalgate Fire Chief Aaron Blue and Shane Sallee were squad leaders for two of four squads assembled to search flood areas for houses that were flooded and check for people who needed rescue or evacuation.

During their search, they came upon a National Guard vehicle that was swept off the road near Pembroke. Their squads, along with another Oklahoma squad and Colorado Task Force 1, worked to rescue nine people. All nine were rescued successfully, Blue said.

On Monday, Oklahoma Task Force 1 posted an update on the squad’s rescue efforts.

The update, in part, reads as follows:

“Members from OKCFD Task Force 1 are coupled with rescuers from Coal County (OK) in Robeson County N.C. They are working in conjunction with members from Colorado Task Force 1. They are responsible for water rescues in Robeson County including the cities of Pembroke and Lumberton. The mission today is to continue conducting grid searches as the Lumber River continues to rise. The river is currently higher than it has ever been and is still rising.”

On Monday night, 32 deaths had been linked to Florence, according to published reports. Twenty-five were in North Carolina, six in South Carolina, and one in Virginia.

In addition to flooding across the Carolinas, flash-flood warnings were in effect Monday night across parts of far southern Virginia, where several tornadoes were confirmed Monday by storm spotters. One of those tornadoes hit Chesterfield County south of Richmond, causing a building collapse that killed one person.

In North Carolina, residents are slowly being allowed back to their homes in some areas.

Plans were to allow residents of Wrightsville Beach, NC -- where Florence made landfall -- back on the island, and Craven County’s mandatory evacuation was to be lifted. But officials warned that homes and roads may still not be accessible and people attempting to return should use extreme caution.

Elsewhere, however, officials continued to warn people not to travel in or through the state. Some interstates are still impassible and remain closed.

Blue said in a quick note Tuesday at noon: “We are currently going house to house by boat in the flooded areas checking on residents and assessing the impacts and needs.” At this time, he does not know when the team will be returning home. They are still in the Pembroke area, he said.

On behalf of the Coal County Search and Rescue Task Force, Blue would like to thank Coal County Commissioners Brock Jones, Mike Hensley and Nick Lee, Coalgate City Manager Roger Cosper, and Coal County residents for the support the task force has received in this effort. The team appreciates the support and prayers, he said.