SAR Week Proclamation – Hays County

Tuesday, May 18th(Hays County, Texas) – The Commisioners Court will recognize May 23rd – May 29th as Search and Rescue Awareness Week. This acknowledgement falls right at the start of hurricane season and is a stark reminder of the Memorial Day Flood that occurred on the evening of May 23rd and early morning hours of May 24th, 2015 in Wimberley, Texas.

TEXSAR (Texas Search and Rescue) has worked in conjunction with the emergency services throughout Hays County to recognize Search and Rescue Awareness Week. SAR is a team effort that often puts a myriad of agencies together (both paid and unpaid) and all willing to put their lives on the line to save others. SAR Week will provide the opportunity to show appreciation to all agencies that work in Search and Rescue for their selfless work, dedication to training, and commitment to community. 

The first responders across Hays County remember the days after the historic flooding event in 2015. Kharley Smith, who was working for Hays County Office of Emergency Management at the time, remembers, “That night and the days following were a blur, it took resources from all over, volunteers and community members really came together.” Flood Survivor, Jonathan McComb who currently serves on the Board of Directors for TEXSAR and is an active TEXSAR member says “The work that Search and Rescue teams do is invaluable. You never really think you’ll encounter a time where you’ll need them, but when you do you’re grateful you have someone there that is highly trained and dedicated to the mission. This week we want to celebrate those people that make it their mission to serve on people’s darkest days.”

TEXSAR encourages the public to learn more about their local SAR team, SAR operations within local Fire Departments, and Emergency Services. Show your support by learning more about disaster safety and preparedness, donating funds or volunteering with your local agencies.

For more information on SAR Week visit www.texsar.org/SARweek or contact Shannon Smith, shannon.smith@texsa. 

TEXSAR

TEXSAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit first responder organization headquartered in Austin, Texas. TEXSAR serves all citizens of the State of Texas and deploys at the request of law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency management agencies. TEXSAR provides specialized services such as ground search and rescue; flood and swiftwater rescue; K9 search, rescue, and recovery; disaster relief services; wildland fire; aerial search; UAV support; and dive team operations. TEXSAR is fully self-sufficient, including incident management team (IMT) capabilities, logistics and communications. TEXSAR’s services are free to requesting agencies and are staffed by volunteers who are trained professionals in their fields. TEXSAR is one of the largest volunteer search and rescue organizations in the country.

For more information, please visit www.texsar.org or contact Shannon Smith at 512-956-6727 or shannon.smith@texsar.org.