Hybrid Team Rescues Man From Hurricane Harvey Flooding

By Army Capt. Martha Nigrelle Texas National Guard

ORANGE, Texas, Sept. 2, 2017 — A team of National Guardsmen, Coast Guardsmen, swift-water rescue technicians and volunteers worked together here Aug. 30 to rescue and airlift a patient needing special medical attention from severe flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey to a safe medical facility.

Service members from the Texas National Guard and a swift-water rescue team from Texas Task Force 1 and the Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Service arrived in a severely flooded neighborhood looking to help anyone in need when, due to special circumstances, they ended up flagging down a Coast Guard helicopter and evacuating a patient, rescuing him from danger and potentially saving his life.

"When we first got the call, the information we were given was that there was a request to evacuate two elderly individuals, one of whom was paralyzed," said Roger Patterson, Texas Task Force 1 squad leader. "Our Texas National Guard team assisted us with their high-profile vehicles to get us as close to the house as possible."

Texas Guardsmen staged their vehicles while Patterson and his team maneuvered through deep waters, diverse terrain and numerous obstacles to get to the family in need.

"The water was pretty bad," said Army Pfc. Martin Davila of the Texas National Guard's 386th Engineer Battalion. "It was everywhere -- both sides of the roads. Whole houses were under water."

An Improvised Litter

Patterson's team arrived at the house and determined they would need a litter to safely transport the handicapped gentleman to dry land.

"When we first got there we noticed an inflatable kayak tied to a street sign," said Matt Paul, swift-water rescue technician and boat operator for Patterson's Texas Task Force 1 squad. "We decided to use the kayak as a litter and floatation device, which enabled us to transport him in the safest and fastest way we could think of."

While Paul and the rest of the members of his team worked to safely evacuate their patient, Patterson split off to coordinate for medical transport to ensure that the patient's medical needs could be taken care of during his evacuation.

Back at the trucks, guardsmen waited for the swift-water rescue team to return, while volunteers showed up, seemingly out of nowhere, looking to assist in any way possible.

"One of the really cool things was that when we evacuated the patient, a volunteer came over with his boat and evacuated his wife," Paul said, "which enabled us to focus on the well-being of the patient and his evacuation."

Transport Needed

Patterson coordinated for ambulance transport after determining that this patient's medical needs required more attention than might be possible in the military vehicle. "Because of his medical conditions, we couldn't bring him to any of the shelters open at the time," he said. "Ambulance transportation was requested but was significantly delayed due to limited resources and an inundation of patients."

While Patterson worked on coordinating transport, the guardsmen and Task Force 1 team worked to protect the man as best possible.

"I was keeping a look out for any emergency vehicles so I could help get him out of danger as quick as possible so he could get the medical attention he needed," Davila said. Another man, there looking for a family member, had two umbrellas in his vehicle and used them to shelter the patient from the rain. The man needed medical attention for several reasons, one of which was the inability to regulate his own body temperature.

"We had covered him up with as many blankets as we had available, but it continued to rain and the temperature was dropping," Paul said. "I was concerned with the rain and the temperature; I was worried he would become hypothermic."

Then a Coast Guard rescue helicopter flew by in what appeared to be a regular search pattern. Seeing an opportunity for a quicker medical evacuation, Paul signaled to the helicopter crew that he was asking them to land.

"They flew around showing us they would land," Paul said. "So our Texas Guard partners helped us stop traffic and secure a landing zone for them, and they were able to land – right in the middle of [Interstate 10]." Of course, on that day, I-10 traffic was a little sparse.

"It was kind of exciting," Davilla said. "It was the first time I have ever been a part of an evacuation by air, but it was also nerve-wracking, because once we rescued him from the floods we weren't sure how we would be able to safely evacuate him."

Team Doubled in Size

The team that started out with just Texas soldiers and Task Force 1 swift-water rescue technicians had now doubled in size, adding volunteers and the Coast Guard, all with one mission: to get a patient in need to safety.

"The rescue swimmers approached me and I told them the situation," Paul said. "They agreed that it was a necessary transport given his medical conditions. Then the pilot confirmed that they would be able to evacuate the patient to a safe medical facility."

As the hybrid team transported the patient from his inflatable kayak-litter to the Coast Guard litter, Patterson told the patient's wife the plan. "The wife was very thankful," Patterson said. "She was extremely surprised with the helicopter, but very thankful."

Once the patient was on the helicopter, Coast Guardsmen transported him and his wife to a medical facility where his condition could be attended to in safety.

"I'm glad we had all of the support we had," Davila said. "It made me really proud to be a Texan to see how everyone came together to make sure everyone was OK and going somewhere safe."

Teamwork Pays Off

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, first responders say this type of teamwork is helping to save lives.

This type of teamwork is unique, Paul said. "It's the first time I have worked with so many different entities, to include the vast number of volunteers," he added. "To me, a lot of those folks are out there with their own equipment and on their own time. They are heroes, out there making sacrifices to help their neighbors out."

First responders may come from different organizations, but they seem to agree on one thing: working together to help someone in need has also changed them.

"After the hurricane response is over, this situation will stick out. We all worked together and were able to do something really good for this man," Paul said.

"I'm really proud to have been a part of this mission and help someone in need," Davilla said. "I will continue to volunteer for any rescue missions or volunteer work needed in the future."