search and rescue – www.israelhayom.com https://www.israelhayom.com israelhayom english website Tue, 08 Jul 2025 08:04:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://www.israelhayom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/cropped-G_rTskDu_400x400-32x32.jpg search and rescue – www.israelhayom.com https://www.israelhayom.com 32 32 Texas flooding tragedy tops 100; Mexico sends help https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/07/08/texas-flooding-tragedy-tops-100-mexico-sends-help/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/07/08/texas-flooding-tragedy-tops-100-mexico-sends-help/#respond Tue, 08 Jul 2025 01:49:52 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=1071333 Search and rescue teams across central Texas conducted intensive operations Monday as they combed through storm-damaged areas seeking survivors, while the fatality count from the previous week's devastating floods climbed to no fewer than 104 people. USA Today reported that renewed heavy rainfall continued to pummel the already battered regions. The Kerr County Sheriff's Office […]

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Search and rescue teams across central Texas conducted intensive operations Monday as they combed through storm-damaged areas seeking survivors, while the fatality count from the previous week's devastating floods climbed to no fewer than 104 people. USA Today reported that renewed heavy rainfall continued to pummel the already battered regions.

The Kerr County Sheriff's Office announced Monday that the county's death toll had reached 84 individuals, comprising 56 adults and 28 children, according to USA Today. Officials indicated that identification remains pending for 22 adults and 10 children in the county that experienced the most severe flooding impacts.

Kerr County bore the brunt of the flooding disaster when the Guadalupe River became rapidly inundated by torrential rainfall on July 4, as reported by USA Today. The waterway surged to heights exceeding 20 feet within hours at multiple points as it cascaded downstream toward Kerrville, a community home to 24,000 residents.

The casualties included no fewer than 27 children and counselors from Camp Mystic, a cherished all-girls summer facility in Kerr County where the most devastating flooding occurred. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha disclosed during a Monday press conference that at least 10 girls and one counselor remained unaccounted for.

"Texas is grieving right now. The pain, the shock of what has transpired these last few days has broken the heart of our state," stated Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Cruz expressed his devastation over the children's deaths at Camp Mystic, characterizing it as "every parent's nightmare."

Approximately 700 children were present at the camp when unrelenting precipitation caused the adjacent Guadalupe River to surge beyond 26 feet in under an hour on Friday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick reported. Photographs captured at the location revealed a structure where some children had been sleeping, displaying shattered windows and a destroyed wall.

Members of a rescue team look for missing people on the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, on July 6, 2025, following severe flash flooding RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP

Pink blankets and stuffed animals were visible among the mud-covered wreckage scattered across the area. As rescue personnel renewed their searches for missing individuals using aerial, ground, and water methods, authorities cautioned central Texas residents that "life-threatening flooding" dangers persisted.

Multiple flash flood advisories remained in effect throughout the Hill Country as storms continued saturating the region, overwhelming roadways and waterways. Several neighboring states and Mexico dispatched crews to support search operations in the affected areas.

Volunteer firefighters from the Mexican border community of Acuña joined search and rescue teams operating in the Kerrville vicinity. Round-the-clock search-and-rescue activities continued as hundreds of emergency personnel confronted debris, mud, and additional obstacles on the ground.

The firefighter team collaborated with the nonprofit Foundation 911 to aid search efforts in Kerrville, according to a protective services government agency in Acuña. The crews reached the area early Sunday morning to begin operations.

A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic (RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP)

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen announced Monday his deployment of a 45-member search and rescue unit to assist central Texas crews for up to 14 days. The team encompasses two canine units plus boats and vehicles for comprehensive search capabilities.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed his state would deploy three swift water rescue teams through an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) to support response and recovery operations. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry contributed 14 state swift water rescue personnel to aid the efforts.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed he was dispatching search-and-rescue teams to Texas to assist with response activities. The teams possess extensive experience in major disaster rescue operations, including the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, according to the governor.

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'Here, under the bed!' Dogs rescued from rubble https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/06/25/here-under-the-bed-dogs-rescued-from-rubble/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/06/25/here-under-the-bed-dogs-rescued-from-rubble/#respond Wed, 25 Jun 2025 06:00:05 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=1068799 Tel Aviv District Police officers rescued residents and animals from the scene of a missile debris strike earlier this week in Tel Aviv. Israel's rescue forces saved a dog from a damaged building in Tel Aviv. She was terrified, poor thing. I'm glad she's okay now. Dogs are going through so much trauma in Israel […]

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Tel Aviv District Police officers rescued residents and animals from the scene of a missile debris strike earlier this week in Tel Aviv.

Video: Dogs rescued from rubble in Tel Aviv / Credit: Police Spokesperson

An Israeli soldier and a dog from the search and rescue unit work in a residential building destroyed by an Iranian missile strike that killed several people, in Beersheba, Israel, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 (Photo: AP /Bernat Armangue) AP

 Body camera footage shows the officers working at the scene shortly after the impact, helping residents escape from damaged buildings while simultaneously ensuring the rescue of animals left in apartments.

Police officials stated that the officers acted with determination and speed while risking personal safety, as part of the police's commitment to protecting human life and public security.

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Body of missing 25-year-old Israeli hiker found in Mexico https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/11/14/body-of-missing-25-year-old-israeli-hiker-found-in-mexico/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/11/14/body-of-missing-25-year-old-israeli-hiker-found-in-mexico/#respond Sun, 14 Nov 2021 06:02:33 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=717299   The remains of Yanai Rimon, the 25-year-old Israeli hiker who went missing in Mexico, were discovered in the country Saturday. Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter  Rimon, from Sderot in southern Israel, was hiking in the area of Las Nubes, near Mexico's border with Guatemala, with friends when he reportedly fell into a […]

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The remains of Yanai Rimon, the 25-year-old Israeli hiker who went missing in Mexico, were discovered in the country Saturday.

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Rimon, from Sderot in southern Israel, was hiking in the area of Las Nubes, near Mexico's border with Guatemala, with friends when he reportedly fell into a river and was swept away by the current. Rimon's friends said he had fallen from a height of five meters (16 ft.) and been pulled into a waterfall.

The Israeli consul in Mexico, Shmuel Eitan, along with insurance company Passport Card and international search and rescue provider Magnus had been working with local teams around the clock to locate Rimon since his disappearance.

In a statement, Rimon's family said: "Yanai, child of light, grew up and was educated in Sderot and loved the people of his city with all his heart. He looked others in the eye and was constantly striving for the common good.

"Yanai enlisted in the elite Duvdevan [IDF] Unit following a year of volunteer service at Hakfar Hayarok [youth village in the Tel-Aviv suburb of Ramat Hasharon] and was a fighter in the Duvdevan Unit," and had a deep friendship with his team members. He left for the big trip he had dreamed of after completing his mandatory service in the unit, joining his childhood friends who were traveling in the area.

"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all those who enlisted to help in Israel and overseas," they said.

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'Sometimes we cry,' says IDF colonel deployed at site of Florida condo collapse https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/06/30/sometimes-we-cry-says-idf-colonel-deployed-at-site-of-florida-condo-collapse/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/06/30/sometimes-we-cry-says-idf-colonel-deployed-at-site-of-florida-condo-collapse/#respond Wed, 30 Jun 2021 09:01:17 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=650011   IDF Col. Golan Vach, who heads a 15-person search and rescue team from Israel that has joined others in Florida, said on Tuesday that he feels the emotional weight of the scenes of devastation at the Surfside condominium collapse near Miami Beach. Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter "Sometimes we cry. It's natural. […]

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IDF Col. Golan Vach, who heads a 15-person search and rescue team from Israel that has joined others in Florida, said on Tuesday that he feels the emotional weight of the scenes of devastation at the Surfside condominium collapse near Miami Beach.

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"Sometimes we cry. It's natural. We are working together. We talk every night... We share and it gives us strength," Vach, commander of the IDF's National Rescue Unit, said.

Vach says the Surfside collapse – which happened last Thursday and has killed at least 11 people with about 150 still missing as of Monday – is one of the most difficult and complicated he has ever seen because the floors of the 12-story condo have collapsed on top of one another, like a stack of pancakes.

Video: Reuters

The IDF rescuers include about 10 reservist officers from the Home Front Command, along with Foreign Ministry personnel, the IDF said in a statement.

When it comes to collapsed buildings, there is a cadre of international rescue workers willing to cross borders at a moment's notice.

A Mexican rescue team is also at the Surfside disaster site. The Israelis come trained by war, whereas the Mexicans have experience with natural disasters.

The cooperation reflects the international nature of the Miami area, which is home to both Jewish and Latin American diasporas.

Meanwhile, Rabbi Ariel Yeshurun, a graduate of the Ohr Torah Stone network's Straus-Amiel Institute, is providing help of a different kind. Yeshurun has set up a response center to help families directly affected by the collapse which has attracted people from all walks of life, of all religious faiths, backgrounds and ethnicities.

Since early Thursday, the rabbi and a team of volunteers have been providing a network of services, consolidating and centralizing collection of supplies and serving as a drop-off point and distribution headquarters. The supplies are then trucked to the Surfside reunification center, where the families of the unaccounted for are staying, as well as to local synagogues located near the site.

"The nature of the collapse has been particularly challenging for all involved. We are forced to face a reality where there is less and less hope of finding survivors and we need to be prepared and plan ahead for the likelihood of dozens of funerals," Yeshurun said sadly.

Yeshurun, outgoing president of the rabbinic association of the greater Miami Jewish Federation and a National Council member of AIPAC, serves as the rabbi of Skylake Synagogue in North Miami Beach, with a community of about 300 families.

"Everyone is helping, donating, extending themselves in ways I cannot believe. I've never seen such solidarity and unity," said Yeshurun.

"It brought me to tears to see everyone working together. They're all coming here – men, women, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, African-Americans, Hispanics, and no one is asking about anyone else's religion or party affiliation. We're just seeing an incredible outpouring of compassion and a desire to help. These past few days we've shown the world that we can let all our differences give way to brotherhood and love and this is a tribute to the greatness of this Miami community!"

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'I will visit my parents' graves to tell them I've been named for the Israel Prize' https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/03/03/i-will-visit-my-parents-graves-to-tell-them-ive-been-named-for-the-israel-prize/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/03/03/i-will-visit-my-parents-graves-to-tell-them-ive-been-named-for-the-israel-prize/#respond Wed, 03 Mar 2021 09:39:00 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=594729   This year's Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement is being awarded to ZAKA founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and Dr. Yosef Chachnover, former director general of the Foreign Ministry, Education Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday. Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter Meshi-Zahav recently lost both his parents to COVID-19, shortly after his brother succumbed to a […]

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This year's Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement is being awarded to ZAKA founder Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and Dr. Yosef Chachnover, former director general of the Foreign Ministry, Education Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday.

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Meshi-Zahav recently lost both his parents to COVID-19, shortly after his brother succumbed to a serious illness.

The prize committee said that Meshi-Zahav was being awarded the lifetime achievement prize "for his exceptional contribution, both in providing help in disaster situations and for his work strengthening unity and bringing people closer together in Israeli society."

Meshi-Zahav has been the head of ZAKA for three decades. Under his leadership, the organization has played a vital role in rescues, saving lives, and identifying remains at scenes of tragedies in Israel and abroad.

"Yehuda Meshi-Zahav is devoting his life to unifying Israel, out of a feeling of devotion and true faith in the need to build bridges and carry on dialogue between all sectors of society as the key to living together in Israel," the prize committee wrote.

In response to the announcement, Meshi-Zahav told Israel Hayom: "I'm going to visit my parents' graves to tell them about the prize, and give them a few moments of joy. The prize isn't mine, it belongs to the thousands of men and women who volunteer with ZAKA who have shown that things can be done differently, and that is possible to make a positive connection with the people of Israel."

The prize committee said it was also recognizing Chachnover's life work, which it said "made a major contribution to the country in a variety of areas: security, economy, law, and foreign relations. Throughout the years of his service, he had a deciding influence in promoting Israel's interests at watershed moments."

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5.9-magnitude earthquake hits Iran, at least 5 dead, 300 injured https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/11/08/5-9-magnitude-earthquake-hits-iran-at-least-5-dead-300-injured/ https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/11/08/5-9-magnitude-earthquake-hits-iran-at-least-5-dead-300-injured/#respond Fri, 08 Nov 2019 09:50:17 +0000 https://www.israelhayom.com/?p=433413 A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck northwestern Iran early Friday, killing at least five people and injuring over 300 others, officials said. The temblor struck Tark county in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan province at 2:17 a.m., Iran's seismological center said. The area is some 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Iran's capital, Tehran. Follow Israel Hayom on […]

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A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck northwestern Iran early Friday, killing at least five people and injuring over 300 others, officials said.

The temblor struck Tark county in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan province at 2:17 a.m., Iran's seismological center said. The area is some 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Iran's capital, Tehran.

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Over 40 aftershocks rattled the rural region nestled in the Alborz Mountains, and residents rushed out of their homes in fear. The quake injured at least 312 people, state television reported, though only 13 needed to be hospitalized. It described many of the injuries happening when people fled in panic.

The head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, gave the casualty figures to state television. There were no immediate video or images broadcast from the area.

Rescuers have been dispatched to the region, officials said. State TV reported the earthquake destroyed 30 homes at its epicenter.

The US Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage.

Iran is on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake a day on average. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.

A magnitude 7 earthquake that struck western Iran in 2017 killed more than 600 people and injured more than 9,000.

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