Outside teams assist in rescue operations

Hundreds of residents across the Cape Fear region stranded by rising waters have been rescued by emergency personnel with help from crews outside North Carolina.

Cumberland County officials said Tuesday they had performed more than 80 rescue missions since Hurricane Florence hit the area.

People were rescued from their homes by boat and military-style MRAP vehicles. Two dogs and two cats also were among the rescued.

The rescues were a joint effort between the city, county and Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue teams, a spokeswoman said.

Rescues continued Tuesday in Cumberland County and parts of the Cape Fear Region as floodwaters from area rivers threatened residents and businesses. Some counties did not have current information because of the rapidly changing situation.

In Bladen County, Emergency Services Director Bradley Kinlaw estimated Tuesday that as many as 300 people had been rescued by boat or high-wheeled military vehicles.

In Harnett County, Assistant County Manager Brian Haney said 15 water rescue calls had been made since midnight Friday, when the storm was bearing down on the region.

In Sampson County, an official said more than 60 specialized rescue missions had been performed. The Coast Guard, the National Guard, local fire departments and EMS units participated, the official said.

A 16-man team from the Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatched by FEMA is using the Stedman Volunteer Fire Department as its base. The team was sent after Stedman chief Jason Nobles requested assistance in advance of Florence's arrival.

The MRP — Mission Ready Package — team left California more than a week ago and traveled some 2,500 miles in about 54 hours, said team leader Dennis Cross. It came in a caravan of six vehicles and brought four boats and six outboard engines for the mission.

"Everywhere we stopped for fuel and people saw the L.A. County and FEMA logos on our vehicles, we got nothing but appreciation and good wishes," Cross said. "It's a very good feeling, and very humbling, that people thank you for your service regardless of where you're going."

Cross' team is part of a larger group in Southern California that is one of two in the United States that also operates internationally. Last year, it had a 75-member team helping in the aftermath of an earthquake in Mexico City while another was involved in rescue and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Irma.

Cross' team will be in Stedman as long as needed, he said. Even with hundreds of local residents being without electricity for several days, the team and local firemen aren't going hungry. Cross said his team is used to bottled water and Meals Ready to Eat for sustenance in a disaster, but added that's not the case here.

Freshly roasted pork was "phenomenal," and foods that aren't normal California fare  — sweet tea, fried okra, pound cake and chicken 'n' pastry — have been a hit. 

"It's an amazing community. We've always heard about Southern hospitality, and now we're experiencing it," Cross said. "People keep asking if we need anything. We have everything we need — except maybe larger pants."

At Cross Creek Mall on Tuesday morning, some rescue teams were preparing for a day’s work.

Members of 50 Star Search and Rescue, based in Texas, and America’s Cajun Navy, based in Louisiana, spent much of the night in the mall’s food court after assisting in rescues Monday. The groups are nonprofit organizations that volunteer their services, representatives said. Members come from around the country.

Tuesday morning, members were checking their phones and studying maps to determine their course of action for the day.

“You’ve got so many dams here,” said Taylor Fontenot, who is with 50 Star Search and Rescue. “We’re just trying to keep track of them.”

Fontenot said the group performed missions in New Bern, which was hard hit by Florence. He said the group worked with police and fire to help rescue more than 400 families there.

“We go in and get them, get them to dry land and from dry land get them to a shelter,” Fontenot said. “It sounds complicated, but it’s pretty easy.”

Timothy Bird, who is from San Antonio, said one of the most difficult rescues 50 Star did on this trip was at a trailer park in Robeson County that was apparently an animal sanctuary. Bird said the group rescued 29 dogs, six cats and six horses.

“We were walking through ankle-deep water to mid-thigh deep water,” he said. “A couple hours after we left, the water was about six feet deep.”

Merle Sullivan, who is from Winona, Mississippi, works with America’s Cajun Navy. He slept in his truck in Fayetteville before embarking on a rescue mission.

Sullivan said while the two groups are separate, they coordinate with each other.

“It would be total confusion if not,” he said.

Fotenot, who has done rescues in several hurricanes, said Florence ranks among the worst he’s ever worked.

He said the flat geography of this area makes it difficult for water to drain.

“It’s insane,” Fotenot said. “It’s Katrina and Harvey put together.”

Fort Bragg soldiers, local first responders and teams from as far as Delaware and New York have based their relief operations at Cape Fear High School.

The New York City Urban Search and Rescue Task Force and a high water rescue team from Bragg's 264th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command rested on cots lining the school's gym or planned in the cafeteria as they waited for waters to crest on Tuesday.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and firefighters from several Delaware fire companies helped clear fallen trees from rural roads in eastern parts of the county.

Military editor Drew Brooks contributed to this report.

Staff writer Rodger Mullen can be reached at rmullen@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3561. Staff writer Thomas Pope can be reached at tpope@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3520.

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