Tennesseans are answering the call for help in rescuing people from the floodwaters caused by Hurricane Harvey. Eight water rescue teams left Nashville Wednesday for the Texas coast. But Tennessee officials are considering the possibility that rescuers could also be needed closer to home.
Forecasters are
warning of torrential rains in West and Middle Tennessee as Harvey breaks up this week. TEMA director Patrick Sheehan says the chance that rain could cause flooding was on emergency officials’ minds as they figured out how much help to send to Texas.
“So we have not deployed all the identified assets. We’ve been working with our local counterparts to identify other swift water teams that are available,” Sheehan says. “At 8 a.m., we’re going to open the state emergency operations center here, and we’ll staff specifically to monitor and make sure that we’re able to respond as quickly as possible should the weather here not go well.”
Proud of these TN search and rescue teams for bravely responding to those in need following the devastating effects of
#Harvey.
pic.twitter.com/mewwrUFLLh— Gov. Bill Haslam (@BillHaslam)
August 30, 2017
In fact, Sheehan says, TEMA is sending only half of the rescue teams that could have gone to Texas. Many of those remaining behind are based in areas that could be prone to flooding.
The Tennessee Guard is also planning on deploying to Texas. But it too will be holding people back in case of an emergency.
Red Cross Holding Back As Well
The Red Cross is training up volunteers for the
massive sheltering effort underway in Houston, though a spokesperson says not everyone will be sent off in case Tennessee starts to see its own flooding.
Retiree Carolyn Johnson of Nashville says she and her husband realized they were in a good position to spend a few weeks helping evacuees in Red Cross shelters.
“We’re actually in the process of moving ourselves, so we were packing everything up and putting it in storage,” she says. “And for me, it was, ‘ok, I can go do this. These people have it worse than I do.'”
Johnson says she’s a little overwhelmed by the magnitude of what needs to be done. But she says she’s willing to help in any way.
The Red Cross is asking for a minimum of a two-week commitment. Some volunteers say they were compelled to act because they used to live in Houston. Others say they’re paying it forward for all the people who traveled from out of state to aid in Nashville’s flood recovery seven years ago.
Melinda Maranto of Camden, Tennessee is a nurse practitioner who says she felt compassion on her Texas colleagues.
“Several people on my Facebook page [are] talking about the nurses needing help,” she says. “They’re wore out, taking care of all these people and they don’t have anybody to replace them. So I feel like it’s my obligation to help them.”
Maranto went through the Red Cross training but decided to make the journey on her own. She and a friend are driving down Thursday with an RV full of supplies they plan to hand out to anyone in need. Texas is also
waiving licensing rules for out-of-state medical professionals. Maranto says she’s ready to relieve anyone who could use a break.
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