(WISH) — Hoosiers brought Hoosier Hospitality to Texas Hill Country amid the devastating flash floods that ravage Kerrville and surrounding areas.

Fire Chief Jeremy Pell of White River Township Fire Department in Johnson County was among Hoosiers sent to Texas to help. He was on the ground with his rescue dog, Rosie, in an area right outside Camp Mystic, an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River where several deaths were recorded from the July 4 flooding.

“The devastation is difficult for me to comprehend,” Peel said in a videoconference from Texas. “I’ve been a firefighter for 36 years and seeing cars, campers, personal belongings up 30 feet, up in a tree, and they were just tossed around. It’s difficult to comprehend if you haven’t seen it before.”

At least 132 people died and more than 150 people remained missing after heavy rains brought flash flooding.

Pell was among five people and three rescue dog volunteer team sent by Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

Pell said, “I want people to know in the heart of first responders, the heart of Hoosiers is to help other people to maybe make their life a little bit better at its worse moment.

The fire chief said the team’s job is to help with the search and rescue, and to give families closure. He said many people want to know what happened to their loved ones.

Another Hoosier helping is Andy Ivankovich, CEO of the Carmel-based financial firm Baker Hill. He travels between Comfort, Texas, and Carmel.

Upon hearing Indiana Task Force 1 needed help getting an additional 35 first responders to Texas, his company booked 35 flights on Sunday night. “We can probably use our American Express more, faster than just trying to wait for some government resources. That’s exactly what we did. Our team stepped up.”

The flight likely shaved off four days of travel time. The second wave of Indiana Task Force 1 arrived early Monday morning. Ivankovich said, “As soon as they saw the guys coming off, they emotionally wept just because the Hoosiers showed up, and it’s kind of a neat experience because it’s more of a relief and trying to get these families closure.”

In total, 80 volunteers from Indiana Task Force 1 are on the ground.

Tom Neal, program manager for Indiana Task Force 1, called Ivankovich’s flight “a godsend.”

The volunteers of Indiana Task Force 1 work 12 hours a day, and, at times, travel as far as an hour to get to a specific destination. He said the extra hands can help relieve those the volunteers who came earlier and are exhausted.

Also, additional people means expanding the search team. .”The hope is to bring closure to these families that are still missing loved ones and so whatever we can do to help that this is our job,” Neal said.

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