HOLLY, Mich. (WNEM) – After a week down south, 19 members of Michigan Task Force One (MI-TF1) are back home at their mobilization center in Holly.
The challenging, yet successful operation resulted in 26 rescues, including two Michigan natives. Team members arrived back in Michigan on Friday and said the devastation was like nothing they’d ever seen before.
“Really, our job that day, was answering 911 calls for people trapped in vehicles, in waterways, in their homes,” said Task Force Leader Chris Martin. “We actually helped on two incidents. We helped other rescuers who got in trouble doing rescues and for that 24-hour period, we were like the 911 response for all swift water actions. Then we got moved to Chimney Rock, which is also near Lure Lake and by far was one of the most devastated areas we’ve seen. We did three days of operations there. We were in rescue mode still and we were taking people from across the river that were abandoned because a bridge was out and we were searching some wilderness areas that were once subdivisions that were cut off by two bridges out and many, many trees down.”…