Nashville crew aids in South Carolina flood response

Nashvillians know first-hand the rescue effort, response and relief that is needed in flood-ravaged South Carolina.

Five years ago, Nashville experienced its own historic flood — a catastrophic event that killed 11 people in Davidson County and left $2 billion in property damages that still aren't fully repaired.

Today, some of the same Metro emergency responders who were called to immediate action back then, are now in South Carolina helping victims there.

Fifteen Metro emergency workers have been in South Carolina — arriving first at Columbia, S.C. and moving to Georgetown, S.C. —  since Sunday as part of a group of approximately 80 Tennesseans from various government agencies. Their assistance came via a request from South Carolina through the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Another wave of 80 or so emergency and rescue workers from across Tennessee are set to arrive in South Carolina through Friday, replacing crews that will head back to Tennessee.

Sumner water rescue team to aid in SC flood efforts

The Nashville rescue crew, comprised of 11 firefighters and four office of emergency management employees, was called to South Carolina because of their specialized training in swift water rescue, according to Nashville Fire Department spokesman Brian Haas. They brought with them two rescue boats, a swift water trailer and other equipment and vehicles. Over the past few days, the team has performed search and rescue missions by going home to home in areas hardest hit by the flood.

Williamson volunteers in SC for flood relief

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry announced details about Metro's aid in South Carolina during an address to the Metro Council earlier this week.

"We really appreciated all the help that we had when we had a flood back in 2010," Barry said. "Many of you may remember that. So, I wanted to just let you know that we have actually sent some of our swift water rescue teams to Columbia, S.C. this week.

"I know that we're all thinking about the people there, and I know how grateful we were when we had a flood and people reached out to us."

Metro ramped up its water rescue training and equipment following Nashville's May 2010 flood, increasing the number of people trained on water rescues to 300 while bringing the number of rescue boats to 30.

Reports from South Carolina have put the death toll from its flooding at 17 people statewide. Twenty-six people died in Tennessee and Kentucky during the 2010 flood.

20 things to know about the 2010 Nashville flood

Tim Henderson, commander of the fire department's special operations division, is part of the Nashville team in Columbia, S.C. right now.

Reached by phone by The Tennessean, he described rescue, clearing and humanitarian aid efforts similar to the situation in Nashville five years ago. He also said flooding in South Carolina remains a threat, particularly toward the coast.

"The water in the Columbia area has pretty much receded down to manageable levels," Henderson said. "But what we understand is the water that's going toward the coast into the Georgetown area is rising still and hasn't crested fully. There's still areas in that part of the state that are extremely dangerous."

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.