‘Amazing, strong people’: Nevada Task Force-1 returns from mission to help Maui
After two weeks of helping with relief efforts in Maui, members of Nevada Task Force One returned home Friday night to the welcoming sight of family members and co-workers.
Nevada Task Force 1 deployed a five-person team to help with the wildfires in Maui on Aug. 10, then 45 more responders followed the next day.
“To have the honor to be called help and the situation is amazing. But the burn area was sometimes overwhelming,” K-9 specialist Michael Porter said at the task force’s warehouse in North Las Vegas. “The devastation is indescribable until you actually see it. And it took a few days to really understand the magnitude of the situation.”
Nevada Task Force 1 Leader Frank Taylor said the number of people missing was over 1,000 when the team arrived on the island. As of Friday, 115 people were confirmed dead, and 388 still remained missing.
Taylor said the task force came to the island ready to work, and he commended their actions on the ground, calling them “consummate professionals.” He said the force did not face major challenges while in Maui because the well-trained task force members knew what to do when the work started.
Taylor and Porter also praised the resilience and strength of the Maui residents.
They are “the real heroes,” Porter said. Taylor called them “amazing, strong people” and noted how they embraced the first responders, regularly asking how they could help with the relief efforts.
“The people of Maui are amazing. They truly are, they’re survivors. They’re coming together. They have a strong family unit,” Porter said. “Like Frank said, they were coming to us after they lost everything, wondering what we need, what they can do to help us.”
The returning firefighters have a mandatory rest period upon returning from Hawaii. Porter said most will spend that time preparing their warehouse so the force is ready to go when the next mission arises.
Asked about the emotional toll on the task force members, Taylor said the rescue dogs helped the team with emotional support throughout the mission.
Porter said that the task force members were focused on the job at hand but acknowledged that may be different once they got home.
Despite the weight of the work they just returned from, Taylor and Porter said they were happy to be home.
“I think everybody’s just tired,” Taylor said of the team. “You know, it was a long two weeks. It was hot out there.”
Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Instagram @writermark2.
