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 Purchase four high-profile water evacuation vehicles 

• • Existing vehicles are unreliable and frequently break-down
  • New high-profile vehicles are necessary for life-saving missions

12 inflatable boats with trailer and motor for each

• • More boats available across the state would increase rescue capabilities
  • Local jurisdictions would have access to boats during disaster emergencies to conduct rapid response for search and rescue missions

Create and support a regional task force in the Rio Grande Valley region

• • Response time for trained personnel to travel from College Station would be reduced
  • More lives would be saved during disasters by stocking equipment in the region

FEMA Map

90 percent of savable victims of flooding disasters are rescued within the first few hours, following such an occurrence.

Availability of equipment is a key to saving lives.

TX-TF1 held its first organizational meeting on February 14, 1997 after the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Soon after inception, TX-TF1 went on their first deployment as an Urban Search and Rescue Team in May 1997 to the central Texas town of Jarrell, after an F-5 tornado touched down.

In June 2001, TX-TF1 joined the FEMA National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) System and responded to their first national incident during the events of September 11, 2001. Joining many task forces, TX-TF1 responded to the collapsed World Trade Center buildings in New York City and searched tirelessly through the debris for victims.

Throughout its existence, TX-TF1 has served the state of Texas and the nation by participating in nearly 200 deployments, relentlessly completing search and rescue missions with highly trained and qualified personnel, and rescued thousands of Texans.

Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service helps communities and public and private entities worldwide by providing training and services needed to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural and man-made disasters. Programs include emergency services, infrastructure, safety, law enforcement, cybersecurity, economic development and workforce development, taught by instructors with real-world experience.

TEEX sponsors the state’s elite search and rescue teams, TX-TF1 and TX-TF2.

TEEX Facts PDF 

TEEX History

Established in 1948, TEEX was charged with responsibility for providing occupational and technical training services to comply with the original Land Grant College Act, also known as the Morrill Act. Over the past 70 years, TEEX has become an international training organization. Serving over 130 countries last year in emergency services, infrastructure, safety, law enforcement, cybersecurity, economic development and workforce development.

David Coatney, TEEX Agency Director 
TEEX Agency Director bio
David.Coatney@teex.tamu.edu
(979) 458-6797

Tracy Foster, TEEX CFO
TEEX CFO bio
Tracy.Foster@teex.tamu.edu
(979) 458-6940

Severe Weather Events 2018

During September and October of 2018, Texas A&M Task Force 1 (TX-TF1) deployed to five separate unnamed severe weather events across the state of Texas.

On September 21, the highly trained water search and rescue resources and personnel deployed to provide support if required to the local first responders. Operations included assisting in the response to a report of a 60-person wedding party requiring rescue and evacuation. Local and regional first response organizations, as well as a TX-TF1 Water Rescue Squad were able to guide 61 people to safety.

On October 7, heavy rain in west and central Texas resulted in catastrophic flooding along the Llano River, near Junction, Texas. Heavy rains overnight caused the Llano River to rise from less than two feet to over twenty feet within an hour. An RV park near the river was impacted and several people were reported missing. The teams continued to assist in searching the river banks for the known missing person and for any other persons that might have been swept away by the historic flash flood event. TX-TF1 provided assistance along the Llano River area by performing rescues, evacuations and thousands of shelter-in-place welfare checks.

Assets deployed in 2018:

• Water Rescue Squads – 56
• Helicopter Search and Rescue Technicians - 33

Texas Counites assisted: Baxer, Bee, Bexar, Brazos, Brown, Burnet, Burnet, Cameron, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Denton, Ellis, Fayette, Foard, Fort Bend, Galveston, Gillespie, Grayson, Grimes, Hidalgo, Hill, Kleberg, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kimble, Kleberg, Live Oak, Llano, Mason, McLennan, Medina, Menard, Midland, Navarro, Nueces, Parker, San Saba, Tarrant, Taylor, Throckmorton, Travis, Trinity, Walker, Washington, Williamson, Wise, and Wichita County.

Severe Weather Events 2019

From April through July of 2019, Texas A&M Task Force 1 (TX-TF1) and Texas Task Force 2 (TX-TF2) deployed to six separate unnamed severe weather events across the state of Texas.

On April 23rd, 2019 Texas A&M Task Force 1 was activated to provide Search and Rescue resources to aid local, regional, and tribal authorities. Water squad members from Dallas were in transit to Dublin to help search for a missing three-year-old that was swept out of a car early in the morning. The Dallas squad found the victim and initiated a route to Waco. 

May 15th, 2019, a severe strong front from Texas into Minnesota produced severe weather to include numerous tornadoes, damaging winds and hail across areas of the Texas Panhandle, North and East Texas. The members of TX-TF1 and TX-TF2 worked alongside local first responders to support the communities affected by the severe weather event.

June 25th, 2019, Texas experienced a wave of severe weather and significant rainfall in June 2019, which produced heavy rain which had the capability of producing tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail. During this deployment, several victims were rescued from the strong waters by task force members and some were even given life-saving treatments. As the days passed, many others were rescued and brought to safety while Task Force members ensured the durability and safety of their motor vehicles by replacing parts and issuing daily checks on equipment.

Assets deployed in 2019:

• Water Rescue Squads – 55
• Helicopter Search and Rescue Technicians – 12
• Type III Urban Search & Rescue Team – 3

Texas Counites assisted: Austin, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Brazoria, Brazos, Brown, Cameron, Chambers, Comal, Dallas, Galveston, Hardin, Harris, Hidalgo, Hill, Jefferson, Liberty, Llano, McLennan, Montgomery, Navarro, Orange, Smith, Taylor, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Wichita, and Willacy County.