Minnesota K9 Team Heads to Texas to Help With Flooding Search and Recovery Mission

(KNSI) — Minnesota is sending specialized search and rescue teams to help with the devastating flooding in Texas.

Governor Tim Walz announced that a Minnesota Task Force 1 K-9 unit is heading to central Texas to help with search and recovery operations following deadly flooding that has killed at least 120 people. More than 170 people remain missing.

Minnesota Task Force 1 is one of two urban search and rescue teams in the state, specializing in structural collapse, heavy rescue, wide-area search, and advanced medical care. The unit is equipped for round-the-clock operations and can work in disaster areas with little to no infrastructure.

The deployment comes as communities across Texas continue to deal with the destruction left behind by heavy rainfall that caused the Guadalupe River to surge more than 26 feet in less than an hour earlier this month.

In a press release, Governor Walz praised the teams response saying, “In the wake of unprecedented flooding, communities in Texas are dealing with heartbreaking loss and destruction. As search and recovery missions continue, I’m incredibly grateful to our Minnesota Task Force 1 K-9 Unit for stepping up and traveling to assist our neighbors in this time of tragedy. We know their heroic work will make a difference.”

The deployment is coordinated through EMAC – the Emergency Management Assistance Compact – a mutual aid agreement between all 50 states that allows resources to be shared during disasters. Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety oversees the state’s participation in these emergency response efforts.

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