Tupelo firefighters help with flood relief efforts in Jackson

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) -The Tupelo Fire Department was called to help flood victims in the Jackson area.

The firefighters were members of “Task Force One’, the statewide group of firefighters who were trained to respond to situations like swift-water rescues.

Task Force One members were stationed in the Flowood area, south of the reservoir.

Captain Terry Robinson said the flooding was severe, but most people heeded warnings to evacuate ahead of the rising waters.

“There was a lot of flooding, south of the reservoir, when we got there late Saturday afternoon they did a mandatory release of some water from reservoir, I think the reservoir was starting to get compromised, local officials did a good job of evacuating south of the reservoir, so most everybody had already left the area,” said Capt. Robinson.

Tupelo Fire Department took two boats,  an inflatable and hard bottom boat.

Members of Task Force One take part in several training exercises throughout the year.