NC SBI sends K-9 teams to Texas to aid in flood recovery efforts

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has sent four of its K-9 search teams to Texas to assist with ongoing flood recovery efforts in the Hill Country region.

According to a release from the SBI, two of the teams departed from Asheville Regional Airport early Sunday around 5 a.m., while the remaining two teams left from Raleigh-Durham International Airport at 9 a.m.

The deployment comes as several agencies previously working in Kerr County, Texas, have since left, leaving a gap in recovery resources. In response, SBI Director Chip Hawley reached out to Texas officials to offer North Carolina’s assistance.

“North Carolina has been devastated by hurricanes and other natural disasters in the past, and our friends from many other states have always come to our aid,” Hawley said in the release. “Now it’s our time to step up and help them out. It’s the right thing to do.”

The SBI says the K-9 teams are among the best in the country and will be based in Kerrville, located in Kerr County, where they will help search for people still missing following the recent devastating floods.

The SBI plans to share updates over the next two weeks as the teams carry out recovery operations.