Round Rock firefighters have deployed to Louisiana to prepare to assist with search and rescue efforts following Hurricane Ida‘s landfall over the weekend.
Battalion Chief Gunther von Seltmann departed the morning of Sunday, Aug. 29, with the Texas State Task Force 1 (TX-TF1), along with other personnel and a large cache of specialized and technical equipment to support and work in coordinated efforts with local first responders. TX-TF1, sponsored by Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, functions as one of the 28 federal teams under FEMA’s National Urban Search and Rescue System.
Firefighter Jeremy Porter, Lt. Manuel Bruner, Firefighter Jerik Kondoff and Driver Steven Puckett deployed with a Round Rock Fire Department engine through Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) Monday morning.
Ida made landfall as an “extremely dangerous” category 4 hurricane around 11:55 a.m. Sunday near Port Fourchon, La., according to the National Hurricane Center, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Ida later weakened to a strong tropical storm, but continued to bring extreme winds, heavy rain, dangerous flash flooding and storm surges as it moved across southeastern Louisiana on Monday morning.
How you can help
The American Red Cross of Central & South Texas Region, headquartered in Austin, is recruiting volunteers to assist with shelters, disaster health services, blood collection support and more. For more information on how you volunteer, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday.
