Oklahoma is stepping up to support flood-stricken neighbors, delivering additional emergency aid to both New Mexico and Texas. Governor Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) are leading the solidarity charge, tapping at once into the state's wellspring of resources and expertise. A 10-member support team has been deployed to the New Mexico State Emergency Operations Center, offering hands-on relief to overwhelmed local personnel.
The team – a seasoned ensemble from the OEM, Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, Oklahoma City Fire, and Tulsa Police – is quickly to join forces with the response units already working tirelessly in the region. This effort supplements Oklahoma's prior aid initiatives, as announced by the Governor's Office. "Oklahomans know what it means to stand beside our fellow Americans in times of need," Governor Stitt said in a statement obtained by the office's Newsroom. "We will continue to serve our neighbors with strength and compassion, because that's who we are."
Notably, Texas is also receiving Oklahoman reinforcements with the deployment of two Type III swift water rescue teams. These teams, drawn from the ranks of Oklahoma Task Force 1 (OKTF-1) in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas, are well-versed in navigating treacherous floodwaters. They link up with counterparts, including Human Remains Detection K-9 units, already engaged in the search and rescue within the hardest-hit Texan locales.
The response operations ride the mechanisms of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), a national mutual aid agreement that allows states to effectively lend a hand during natural catastrophes. Annie Mack Vest, OEM Director, elaborated on the mutual assistance ethos, "Other states came to our aid in Oklahoma last spring when tornadoes struck multiple communities," she told the Newsroom. "And we are proud to have so many responders and emergency management personnel ready to do the same for our neighboring states."
