They came all the way from Mexico to help Texas. But today, Mother Nature had other plans for these brave rescue workers searching the Guadalupe River.
INGRAM, Texas — Search and rescue crews from Mexico were forced to halt their operations on the Guadalupe River in Ingram, Texas today as rain caused water levels to rise, complicating efforts to find victims of the deadly July 4th floods.
Proteccion Civil, a search and rescue team from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, had been searching the river with ATVs, divers, boats, and search dogs when officials ordered them to pause their mission due to dangerous conditions.
“Yesterday and today we had to stop because of the rain. When it rains the river is coming up,” said Manolo Acevedo from Proteccion Civil.
The Guadalupe River continues to show signs of the devastating floods, with mountains of branches lining the banks. Helicopters could be heard overhead as crews assessed the situation.
Despite the challenging conditions, Acevedo noted some improvement in the river.
“The condition of the river is better than before but it’s still really hard to go into the river,” he said.
The search teams have been working tirelessly to locate those swept away in the July 4th flooding, taking breaks only when officials determine conditions are too dangerous to continue.
The flooding has taken a significant toll beyond just property damage.
“This is not only a disaster economically you know, with houses. We’re talking about we lost people. We lost children,” Acevedo said.
The Mexican rescue crews were studying maps to determine where to resume their search once conditions improve and they receive clearance to continue their operations on the river.