You should not be alarmed if you see a large helicopter presence in the Brazos Valley tomorrow (W) afternoon. Jeff Saunders, Director of Texas A&M Task Force One, says it is part of a multi-agency aviation search and rescue exercise.
“We practice exactly the same way we would be in the field, doing rescues during a flood event in Texas, or during a hurricane response,” said Saunders.
Saunders says they will be at multiple locations including Disaster City near Easterwood Airport, portions of the Brazos River, Lake Somerville and Lake Bryan.
You can see some of the events, just stay back a considerable distance.
“They will certainly be able to see operations from the banks, so if they are in the water anywhere…we just ask that you stay 200-300 feet away from where the simulated victim is in the water,” said Saunders.
This training exercise, which is being held for the first time in the Brazos Valley, allows state, federal, and local government Search and Rescue aviation to develop better coordination mechanisms during a hurricane or natural disaster.