The firefighters — John Hardy, Cody Alexander, Nick Risner, Joey Norman and team leader Eric Hileman — left Tennessee to spend about a week assisting in relief efforts following devastating floods on the East Coast.
“They’ll be working with other water teams, assisting residents in finding a safe place, and doing water rescues,” Columbia Fire Chief Tommy Hemphill said. “This is a second wave of rescue teams. A week is about as long as you want to be deployed.”
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley requested Gov. Bill Haslam send help from Tennessee, Hemphill said.
The Columbia Fire Department is supplying manpower, the Maury County Fire Department is sending equipment, and the Maury County Office of Emergency Management has connections through FEMA, so it is coordinating the effort.
“The lessons learned in the 2010 flooding that we experienced were incredible,” Maury County Director of Emergency Management Mark Blackwood said. “Our teams directly saved over 55 lives in the 2010 flooding, and we are thankful for these guys who are using their specialized training to help others.”
The South Carolina flood, an effect of Hurricane Joaquin combined with other storm systems, has been called a one-in-1,000-years flood, Blackwood said.
The five men selected for the local team were chosen based on their training expertise.
“We didn’t have to beg guys to go,” Hemphill said. “We had to turn them away. These guys are really dedicated to saving lives.”
The team was assembled and prepared for deployment in less than 24 hours, Columbia Assistant Fire Chief Ty Cobb said. “We got the call (Wednesday) at about 2:00 p.m. from Director Blackwood,” he said. “When we got the official go ahead, it was 12-15 hours after that when we had the team put together and ready to go.”
The team left from the Office of Emergency Management/Safe Space building on Tom J. Hitch Parkway on Thursday afternoon and spent the night in Knoxville. From there, the men will be sent to Columbia, S.C. Hemphill said the men are not sure where exactly they will be working once they arrive in the flood area.
“When you go into a place like that, you still have everyday issues to take care of, and try to make sense of the chaos of a mass tragedy,” Hemphill said. “They (the firefighters) are trained, but you never know when you get there what you’re going to find.”
The local team is traveling with all the equipment it might possibly need in rescue and recovery efforts, including a flat-bottom power boat, an inflatable paddle boat, and ropes and personal safety gear, Blackwood said.
“Sometimes, it’s just a little extra special when you know the people who are hurting,” Columbia Mayor Dean Dickey said. “We have friends in South Carolina, and tonight I will call them and tell them help is on the way from Columbia, Tennessee.”
Up to one inch of additional rainfall is expected in northeast South Carolina over the weekend, which could affect cleanup efforts, according to a statement released by the National Weather Service on Wednesday.
“Significant river flooding will continue through at least all of next week,” according to the statement. “Some rivers in South Carolina will reach major flood category and possibly eclipse all-time crests.”
Two city roads remained closed in Columbia, S.C., on Thursday, but 38 were closed in neighboring Clarendon County, according to incident response briefs from the respective government agencies.
Maj. General Robert Livingston, S.C. adjutant general, said there were no state-issued evacuations as of Thursday afternoon, according to a tweet by the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. The Georgetown County Emergency Management organization strongly recommended residents make plans to evacuate, however. The flood conditions and road closures blocked highway access for some communities, according to the organization’s Facebook post.
“We can’t talk enough about the importance of partnerships in small communities like ours,” Blackwood said. “We think it very appropriate that Columbia, Tenn., is helping our neighbors in Columbia, S.C. We wish them the Lord’s blessing and that they will be returned to their families safely.”
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©2015 The Daily Herald (Columbia, Tenn.)
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