A second deployment of 35 additional Indiana Task Force One members depart for Texas — via a privately chartered plane — early on Monday, July 14. Photo from Baker Hill.

By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s elite Task Force One has deployed 35 more emergency responders for search and recovery efforts to flood-devastated Texas. It is one of 28 federal squads across the country.

Members arrived just half a day after the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s orders came through at 3 p.m. Sunday, the Indianapolis Fire Department announced — thanks to some help from the Texan CEO of a Hoosier company.

A bus takes about 18 straight hours on the road, as the initial deployment of 49 team members found when they were activated July 8. They arrived late the following night.

Task Force One Chief Tom Neal was considering air travel for the second deployment, but nabbing 35 last-minute seats would’ve been “an arduous task at best,” Indianapolis Fire Department spokeswoman Rita L. Reith wrote in a news release.

He was looking at flights around the time that a member of the initial deployment was in Texas, chatting with Andy Ivankovich, the CEO of Carmel-based lending software firm Baker Hill.

Ivankovich had stopped by to offer supplies, like water, snacks and toiletries. Before leaving, he asked what else was needed.

“The INTF1 member glibly replied — how about an aircraft? Without missing a beat, Mr. Ivankovich said — I can do that. Give me Tom’s number,” Reith recounted.

Within hours, the members were leaving Indianapolis International Airport on a charter plane, paid for by Ivankovich.

Ivankovich, who lives near the flooded areas in Texas, said he “did this out of generosity and the need to help his fellow Texans,” Reith wrote. Baker Hill Chief Marketing Officer Jason Archer also helped coordinate.

Members landed at 4 a.m. Monday, July 14 as a type 1 incident team — a label reserved for the most complex disasters that require national resources, according to FEMA.

At least 132 people have been confirmed killed after the July 4 flash flooding, with more than 160 still listed as missing, CBS News reported.

No living victims have been found since the day of the floods, USA Today reported. Search and rescue efforts have shifted to recovery of the dead.

Indiana Task Force One members are pictured at work in Texas on Friday, July 11. Photo from Indiana Task Force One.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FEMA, which she oversees, have come under fire for the delayed response to the disaster, CNN reported.

Federal funding uncertainty — and state resistance — could jeopardize Indiana Task Force One’s future even as it is increasingly relied upon.

FEMA requires that Indiana Task Force One maintain at least 210 people on a rotating schedule who are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. Two-thirds of the unit is firefighters, who have 380 hours of training in specialized rescue techniques for floods, structural collapses and more.

The other members are physicians, structural engineers, canine handlers, logistics operatives and even commercial drivers who transport equipment like rescue boats, water tanks and ready-to-eat meals.

Only three are full-time employees, including Neal. Some are part-timers.

The city of Indianapolis sponsors the specialized team, covering daily costs with a $1.3 million FEMA readiness grant and local funding, with the promise of reimbursement for qualifying expenses.

The state of Indiana does not contribute, and hasn’t since aside from the $150,000 spent in 1992 — along with $150,000 from Indianapolis and $300,000 from FEMA — to start Task Force One.