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

By Whitney Downard
Indiana Capital Chronicle

INDIANAPOLIS — As recovery teams continue to search for the missing after deadly, catastrophic flooding in Texas earlier this month, Gov. Mike Braun is taking a closer look at Indiana’s emergency systems and warning capacity.

The newly minted Emergency Alert Task Force will evaluate what currently exists while also determining if there are places to improve.

“Following the tragic loss of life from flooding in Texas, we’re taking proactive action to make sure our emergency alert systems are up-to-date, fully functional, and that we’re making any enhancements possible to better protect Hoosiers from extreme weather,” Braun said in a statement.

A warming climate has increased the frequency of adverse weather events, specifically by elevating the risk of flooding and extreme heat, as detailed by Purdue University’s Climate Change Impacts Assessment.

Indiana’s Department of Homeland Security and Integrated Public Safety Commission will lead the task force, with input from local public safety officials. The Indiana Geographic Information Office, National Weather Service and cell-phone network carriers will advise.

Current resources include the Emergency Alert System established by federal officials in 1994, which broadcasts the blaring alarms heard on television and radio stations.

A report, which will include recommendations for the emergency systems, will be due to Braun by November 1.

As of Wednesday, just under 100 people are still missing. Ongoing rain delayed initial recovery efforts in a process that officials say could take weeks — or even months.

Earlier this week, a second wave of elite first responders from Indiana joined those already on the ground, with roughly 84 members of Indiana Task Force One in the Lone Star State. The team is one of 28 across the country that the Federal Emergency Management Agency deploys in a disaster.

However, Task Force One hasn’t received any state funding since 1992, though it’s busier than ever before with ever-increasing weather-related events. The unit, composed mostly of firefighters, collectively has hundreds of hours of training in specialized rescue techniques for floods, structural collapses and more.