TULSA, Okla. — After spending 16 days in Texas, members of Oklahoma Task Force 1 are back home.
“Seeing cars, seeing RV’s, seeing trees, seeing things that are completely destroyed, you understand the power of water,” Captain Matt Bell, said.
WATCH: BACK HOME: OKTF-1 returns to Tulsa from Texas flooding
Bell oversees OK TF-1.
The floodwaters in Texas are now receding, and the heroes from Oklahoma returned home in the evening of July 21.
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“We love to work, and we would stay there as long as they would absolutely need us,” Capt. Bell said.
Despite the willingness to stay, time was up for OKTF-1. Crews from around the region traveled to Texas to help; their cycles usually last about two weeks.
“As the fire chief, I can tell you that I’m immensely proud when they come back and do incredible work,” Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker said.
When the Oklahoma crew arrived, more than 100 people were missing. Upon their return, less than five were left unaccounted. 107 people are known to have died in the flooding.
“The most important thing here is the amount of people that lost their lives in this incident. It was a really bad recipe,” Bell said.
The Oklahoma Standard shone bright, even across borders.
“I think what you’ve seen coming back from Texas is that the value of specialized teams, that can come together, in a region, and conduct a mission is incredible,” Chief Baker said.
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