More and more assistance is needed to rescue people trapped as catastrophic rains brought on by Hurricane Harvey continue. 

Eagle Pass firefighters Adrian Davila, Joe Garza, and Eduardo Alvarez will be traveling to San Antonio to be part of the ambulance staging crew.

“What they do is as ambulances from all over the state start arriving they start staging those ambulances and giving them orders of where they’re going to be headed,” said Fire Chief Manuel Mello. “It’s the main hub of where all ambulances go and meet.”

Mello said the men will most likely be sent for approximately five days to the Houston and Galveston areas where much of the damage is being seen. 

“There’s extensive flooding, there’s a need for boats out there to do evacuations, there’s a lot of people that were stranded in their houses, in their community,” said Mello. “There’s a lot of devastation. This is something that’s going to be there for days to come.” 

The Maverick County Sheriff’s Department will also be sending assistance to flooded areas. Two deputies are being sent to Victoria, two more to Houston, and one to Corpus Christi to help with security needs, said Sheriff Schmerber.

The situation will be assessed, but it is very likely that deputies will be sent to the severely damaged communities for up to five months, he added.

Bomberos locales ayudan en 

inundaciones por Harvey

Jaclyn Guzmán

Staff writer

   Se necesita más y más ayuda para rescatar a las personas atrapadas a medida que las lluvias catastróficas provocadas por el huracán Harvey continúan.

   Los bomberos de Eagle Pass, Adrian Davila, Joe Garza y ​​Eduardo Álvarez viajarán a San Antonio para formar parte de la tripulación de ambulancias.

   "Lo que hacen es que las ambulancias de todo el estado comiencen a llegar y empiezan a organizar esas ambulancias y darles órdenes de adónde van a dirigirse", dijo el jefe de bomberos Manuel Mello. "Es el centro principal de donde todas las ambulancias van."

   Mello dijo que los hombres probablemente serán enviados por aproximadamente cinco días a las áreas de Houston y Galveston, donde se observa gran parte del daño.

   "Hay grandes inundaciones, hay una necesidad de barcos por ahí para hacer evacuaciones, hay mucha gente que estaba varada en sus casas, en su comunidad", dijo Mello. "Hay mucha devastación. Esto es algo que va a estar allí por mucho tiempo "

   El Departamento del Sheriff del Condado de Maverick también enviará asistencia a las áreas inundadas. Dos diputados están siendo enviados a Victoria, dos más a Houston, y uno a Corpus Christi para ayudar con las necesidades de seguridad, dijo el sheriff Schmerber.

   La situación será evaluada, pero es muy probable que los diputados sean enviados a las comunidades gravemente dañadas por hasta cinco meses, añadió.

One man was killed in a motor vehicle accident that occurred on Highway 277 North when a white Ford Ranger collided with an 18 wheeler Thursday afternoon.

The chemical spill that occurred at the El Indio UMC location on Friday, January 27 resulted in 24 people being sent to the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center ER.

The Eagle Pass Fire Department received it’s newest ambulance Thursday morning. 

The ambulance is one of two that were acquired this year, along with a third ambulance which was refurbished.

“We now have three ambulances that are going to last us for years,” said Chief Manuel Mello. “Currently there is one ambulance for each station. The Central has two ambulances, both of which are latest models, and we have two reserved. The one we just got has the latest technology, required by the state, as well as new stretchers for the safety of the patient: when one puts a patient on the stretcher, the system makes sure the patient does not move in case of an accident.”

The technologically advanced ambulance took approximately 5 months to create, said Mello, and includes an ambulance box in the rear of the vehicle with a lifetime guarantee. 

“According to the dealer these ambulances should be replaced between five and seven years, but when one is going to replace an ambulance, for example, the same box can be used,” said Mello.

Although the cost may seem pricey at $139,000, Mello said the ambulances were a good financial choice, with the EPFD already saving almost $30,000 by refurbishing one of the vehicles. 

 “We’ll be using them for several years and we’ll be able to provide better service to the city since with the other ambulances we were spending more time in the mechanic shop than at the station,” said Mello. 

EPFD will be receiving one of the last machines they ordered next month. The extinguisher is almost identical to the one purchased two years ago, said Mello, and will have a 1000 gallon tank and a pump with a capacity of 1,250  gallons.

‘We’re well protected thanks to the mayor, the council that have authorized the funds for these purchases,” said Mello.