Arizona task force heads to Texas to aid with search efforts after devastating floods

PHOENIX – A 48-member Arizona task force headed to central Texas on Tuesday night to bolster search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of devastating floods.

Arizona Task Force 1 (AZ-TF1), which is managed by the Phoenix Fire Department Special Operations Section, headed to Texas after being activated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

AZ-TF1 is one of 28 FEMA task forces nationwide.

The task force’s previous deployments include Hurricane Helene in 2024, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, The 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

The Phoenix Fire Department’s Arizona Task Force 1 (AZ-TF1), a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team, has been activated to respond to severe flooding in Central Texas. A 48-member Type 3 team has been activated to deploy and assist in the region. The team will deploy 8pm local time. pic.twitter.com/jOGl64lTYP

— Phoenix Fire Dept. (@PHXFire) July 9, 2025

Arizona Task Force 1 deployed with over 160 still missing after Texas floods

More than 100 people were killed during the flash flooding in Texas’ Hill Country over Fourth of July weekend and over 160 are thought to still be missing.

The devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort.

Teams are using heavy equipment to untangle and peel away layers of trees, unearth large rocks in riverbanks and move massive piles of debris that stretch for miles in the search for the missing people. Crews in airboats, helicopters and on horseback along with hundreds of volunteers are part of one of the largest search operations in Texas history.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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