Calcutta, Hanover firefighters return after search and rescues in Kentucky
Devastating floods in Kentucky over the last week have killed at least 37 people with the death toll expected to rise.
Some taking part in those life saving rescues are firefighters from Calcutta and Hanover Township.
Calcutta Lieutenant Randy Schneider, and Tim Rousch and Adam Williams from the Hanover Township Volunteer Fire Department arrived in Hazard, Kentucky last Friday and hit the ground running, working through the weekend conducting more than 60 searches and 4 rescues.
They brought their command vehicle, water, supplies and flat bottom aluminum boat.
"By the time we got there, most of the waters had receded so it was people who started calling now because they can get to their neighbors and loved ones and figure out who is missing and who hasn't been in contact with," Schneider said.
Kentucky's governor is calling it the deadliest and most destructive flood event in his lifetime.
Schneider says it's one of the worst he's ever seen.
"I mean you would see nothing but foundations, but no houses," Schneider said. "These neighborhoods, they were saying it was almost like a movie scene where you just see a wall of water coming at them because the water went to 35-40 feet high in some areas and just completely annihilated some houses there. We found one house about a quarter mile down from where its original foundation was, another one just remnants left over, so we were going through the remnants trying to see if anyone was there. Cars were pushed down a half mile away."
It's destruction that's difficult to comprehend, but Schneider was challenged even more trying to comfort those who just lost everything.
"You see it as just a terrible scene, someone's house but that is there life, that's their livelihood, that is what they know as home and when you don't have that sense of safety, that is your home, people are traumatized, so you are dealing with searching for people and helping them but in addition you are dealing with people who are having anxiety attacks, panic attacks because everything they know in their life is gone from their home to loved ones and you are trying to put a sense of easement into their eyes and mind, that it is ok, we are here to help, we know you are going through a rough time and then you are also trying to perform your job which makes it difficult because of trying to calm the person down to let them realize you are here to help them," Schneider said.
But Schneider says he would do it again, just like he did last December, when he went to help after a tornado struck Mayfield, Kentucky.
"To answer the call to help fellow man is a higher calling, it's a blessing to be able to give my time, our time to assist these people who are in less fortunate situations like this and we got a great department here at Calcutta, all the volunteers over the years," Schneider said. "The community support for these projects, these natural disaster missions we've gone on has been outpouring. People reaching out saying it's awesome, they are so glad to see their town is representing them down there and helping the citizens that need it."
Don't forget, these volunteer firefighters are just that, volunteers. They have full-time jobs and to go on these missions, have to get time off or take vacation time to do it. For them, it truly is a labor of love.