Arizona feeling impact from Hurricane Harvey, as state sends help to Texas

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Arizona public safety agencies have sent aircraft and personnel to Texas to help with the response to Harvey.

The Arizona National Guard sent four helicopters to be part of a National Guard pool available to help as needed, and the Phoenix Fire Department activated an 80-member urban search and rescue team for a 14-day deployment in Texas.

The National Guard helicopters sent by Arizona included three UH-60 Blackhawks and a UH-72 Lakota.

Phoenix Fire Department search and rescue teams have previously assisted after the Oklahoma City bombing, 2001 terror attacks and Hurricane Katrina. To FEMA, they are Arizona Task Force One, and they are, as of Monday, in the Houston area.

The team is made up of specially trained Phoenix firefighters.

"We can manage anything," said Shelly Jamieson, in a phone interview. "The beauty of this team is we have HAZMAT resources, technical rescue. Everything from swift water to collapsed rubble and cribbing and shoring."

Besides sending help, Hurricane Harvey is impacting Arizona in other ways, as some people, like former Arizona Cardinals player Bertrand Berry, are worried about their loved ones who reside in the Houston area.

"I have my brother, my mother, my father, my grandmother, all of my family is there except me," said Berry, who went on to say that he feels "a little bit of guilt" that he is not in Houston to deal with the situation.

Berry said he is in constant contact with his family, and said they are safe and have not been evacuated. Berry said he does see a silver lining in watching strangers help strangers.

"They're just doing it because it s the right thing to do," said Berry. "It gives you hope that there are still enough good people out there. The world can survive."