EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio (WKBN) — The Calcutta Fire Search and Rescue Team is heading to Central Texas to aid in the flood disaster that has killed over 100 people, with 160 people still missing. They’ll deploy Wednesday morning with personnel, rescue equipment and K-9 Solace.
Now, two East Liverpool divers are also making the trip to Hunt, Texas, help the cause.
70-year-old Dale Hammon left his home in East Liverpool on Tuesday morning to head for Hunt, along with his nephew Nathaniel Payne. The two of them are making the nearly 24-hour drive — only stopping for fuel — because for them, every second counts.
Currently, a team of retired Navy SEALs is waiting for them in Hunt, where they are needed for a search and rescue mission. They’re both skill divers — Hammon with over 40 years of experience in blackwater diving.
“We will go where nobody else will go. We will go into these homes that are completely underwater. We’ll go inside the house, search the house — zero visibility — and then for someone in there, we’ll find them. It’s just how it works, and there’s a big shortage of divers like ourselves,” Hammon said.
Hammon is one of around 100 certified Underwater Criminal Investigators in the country. So, when he heard about the rescue efforts for flooding in central Texas, he knew he had to step up.
“When we saw it on the news, all of these catastrophes like this have blackwater rescues, blackwater recoveries, and that’s what we specialize in,” Hammon said.
But making the trip with just a day’s notice isn’t easy. Hammon and Payne are completely self-funded for housing, meals and equipment. The clock was ticking, and they needed the money fast.
Toni Delascia is a member of the Living Well Church in Wellsville, along with Hammon. Between donations from her and the church, the divers were working with a $3,500 budget, enough to get them on the road.
“Toni was the one who got the ball rolling. She actually made the first donation,” Hammon said.
“I called Pastor Dirk Hall from Wellsville, Ohio, at Living Well, and I said, ‘Hey, I need to ask you a question. Dale is trying to get down to Texas with his team, and we need some help financially,’ and I said, ‘I told you that I’d help. I’ll match whatever you can match.’ And within two minutes, we had the money, and that was all,” Delascia said.
Now, other churches are beginning to make donations as well, but Hammon says they will need even more funding.
“To be able to do this trip for 10 days, we’re looking at between $7,000 to $10,000 in expenses because we travel a lot while we’re down here. We’re not just limited to one spot because they said there’s a least 10 to 15 miles of debris, three stories high that have cars and trees all mixed in it. So, we’re going to be on the go all the time,” Hammon said.
Hammon and Payne are expected to arrive in Hunt around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. They plan on staying over a week but won’t leave until they’re no longer needed.
If you’re interested in making a donation to their trip, go to WesBanco and ask to put money in an expenditure account. Ask to donate to “Willis Dale Hammon.” The money will go toward food, fuel and other resources for the rescue trip.
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