Kentucky Flooding: Additional Ohio Task Force 1 members activated for search and rescue efforts
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By WHIO Staff
JACKSON , KY — Ohio Task Force 1 is activating more members to help with search and rescue efforts in the flooded counties of southeastern Kentucky.
On Monday, three additional canine handlers were activated in response to missing persons. They’re expected to join Ohio’s 45-member Type III Search and Rescue early Monday evening.
The team will conduct its fourth day of operations Monday in the Breathitt County area, southeast of Jackson, Kentucky. In total, five handlers and seven dogs will be assisting in the effort.
On Sunday, task force members conducted their third day of search and rescue operations near the Hindman/Knott County line in Kentucky.
They utilized boats as needed, going house to house to assist with emergency needs and assess structural damages, according to a prepared statement from the task force.
Task Force Leader Adam Landis said the team continues to “perform phenomenally and are in good spirits.”
“The water levels are receding, revealing, and emphasizing the magnitude of the damage in the area,” he said.
Ohio Task Force 1 Program Manager Evan Schumann said the team has been effective despite challenges.
“Communications and data uploads have been difficult due to the terrain of the area and significant structural damage,” he said.
Photos: Kentucky flooding Aerial view of homes submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky, on July 28, 2022. (LEANDRO LOZADA/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding Flooding is seen on Bays Street in Jackson, Kentucky on July 28, 2022, in Breathitt County, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding Cristopher Howard carries plants from his garden on July 28, 2022, in downtown Jackson, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding Aerial view of homes submerged under flood waters from the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Jackson, Kentucky, on July 28, 2022. (LEANDRO LOZADA/AFP via Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding The North Fork Kentucky River is seen moving up Court Street on July 28, 2022, in Jackson, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding Brandon Hayes, 32, climbs down from a ladder after hammering a tarp onto the roof of a neighbor on July 28, 2022, in Jackson, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding The Stivers family rest on cots, in the Hazard Community & Technical College, where survivors of the major flooding in eastern Kentucky are being taken for shelter on July 28, 2022, in Breathitt County, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding April Stivers, 38, of Lost Creek, Kentucky, takes a moment to herself in the Hazard Community & Technical College, where survivors of the major flooding in Eastern Kentucky are being taken for shelter on July 28, 2022, in Breathitt County, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding Zachary Stivers, 11, of Lost Creek, Kentucky, rests on a cot in the Hazard Community & Technical College, where survivors of the major flooding in eastern Kentucky are being taken for shelter on July 28, 2022, in Breathitt County, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)
Photos: Kentucky flooding April Stivers, 38, of Lost Creek, Kentucky, takes a moment to herself in the Hazard Community & Technical College, where survivors of the major flooding in eastern Kentucky are being taken for shelter on July 28, 2022, in Breathitt County, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen/Getty Images)