Utah’s Task Force One returns from Hurricane Laura support

SALT LAKE CITY — The 80 members of Utah Task Force One happily dropped everything to respond to a call for help from federal officials organizing a response to Hurricane Laura in Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday night.

They are just as happy that they were demobilized Friday morning and could head back home.

The members, who come from fire departments throughout the state, were asked to gather in West Jordan just before midnight Wednesday. In the early morning hours of Thursday, the group, riding in a caravan of 10 UTA vans, two 53-foot semitrailers and two box trucks, started out for what they thought would be Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

While they drove, Laura pounded the Louisiana and Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, but within hours was downgraded to a tropical storm. The massive storm surges didn’t materialize, although there was widespread destruction, especially in areas like Lake Charles and Leesville, and more than 800,000 people left without power.

There was extensive flooding, and Wade Russell, leader of Utah Task Force One, said they expected to get details about where they would be offering support to local and federal officials who began rescuing those who were stranded even before the storm had passed.

After driving through the night, the group decided to spend Thursday night in Amarillo, Texas, with specific orders coming Friday morning.

“This morning, they actually ended up demobilizing us,” Russell said. “We’re on our way back.”

That may seem like a disappointing development, but what it likely means is that local and federal officials on the ground have the resources they need to care for the hardest hit communities. So, while it was not what Utah Task Force One rescue crews expected, they’re grateful for the good news.

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