Southern Nevada teams help with rescue efforts in Colorado

By ROCHEL LEAH GOLDBLATT LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

12 years ago

National Guard trucks make their way down one of the main streets in Lyons, Colo. (AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)

What looks like a river in fact used to be the front and back yards of the residents of these homes in Jamestown, Colo., on Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. People in the town say the the Little Jim Creek which used to flow quietly through town has changed course and is tearing apart properties and houses as it continues to rage. (AP Photo/ The Denver Post, Helen H. Richardson)

A heavy flow of water pours out of a parking lot on E. Elkhorn Ave. overwhelming a culvert heading under the roadway. As a steady rain continues to fall, the town of Estes Park, Colo., begins Sunday Sept. 15, 2013 to clean up the flooded downtown streets and stores that are popular for visitors. (AP Photo/ The Denver Post, Kathryn Scott Osler)

A house lays completely demolished in what was the path of the recent floods that have destroyed the town of Jamestown, Colo., on Sunday Sept. 14, 2013. No one has been able to access the town until late Sunday afternoon when crews finalized repairs of the upper portion of the road for emergency traffic only. (AP Photo/ The Denver Post, Helen H. Richardson)

Hayden Court collapsed during the flooding of the Troxell neighborhood in Longmont, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. Evacuations are underway Sunday morning in some Longmont neighborhoods because the St. Vrain River is rising quickly. (AP Photo/Denver Post, Craig F. Walker)

A truck rests next to the washed out railroad track in the Champion Greens neighborhood in Longmont, Colo., Sunday Sept. 15, 2013. Evacuations are underway Sunday morning in some Longmont neighborhoods because the St. Vrain River is rising quickly. (AP Photo/ The Denver Post, Craig F. Walker)

This photo taken on Friday, Sept. 13, 2013, shows vehicles damages by flood waters on a street in Lyons, Colo. Access to the small mountain town was cut off after bridges were destroyed by flash flooding. (AP Photo/Kenneth Wajda)

Nevada Task Force 1 arrived in Loveland, Colo., Sunday afternoon and hit the ground running, setting up camp and deploying a 45-member team for rescue missions.

The 80 members work in 12-hour shifts to ensure everything runs safely, team manager Mario Trevino said.

Those not already conducting rescue operations, including engineers, communications specialists, logistics technicians and the next shift of rescue workers, are tasked with setting up the base camp.

The task force is working with the Colorado National Guard, conducting air operations and search and rescue missions.

Officials do not have a timeline for the length of the deployment, but said the team is prepared for a two-week mission, and has deployed for up to six weeks in the past.

Also en route to Colorado is a four-person emergency disaster services team with the Salvation Army’s mobile kitchen.

They left from Henderson Sunday afternoon, and when they arrive in Denver, they will receive an assignment to feed evacuees, first responders and search and rescue workers, according to Salvation Army Captain Julie Feist of Lake Havasu.