Tulsa Firefighters Arrive In Joplin To Assist In Search And Rescue Efforts

NewsOn6.com

JOPLIN, Missouri -- Members of the Tulsa Fire Department have arrived in Joplin to help search for victims of Sunday's tornado.

The Department has sent two Urban Search and Rescue units to the devastated Missouri city.

The Tulsa team splits up in groups and goes house to house listening for signs of life like dogs whimpering or people crying. 

The team then paints an orange "X" on the ruins it searches to indicate to other crews that it has been there. 

They face many obstacles, climbing over uprooted trees and downed power lines.

The team is also plugged into social networks like Facebook and Twitter. They used those tools to reunite a father and son.

"A parent who was in a hospital was communicating with a neighbor and giving us an update of what he was wearing, what he looks like and where he was last seen," Said Matt Lay of the Tulsa Fire Department.

Emily Baucum's Twitter Pics From Joplin, Missouri

Other Tulsa area agencies are being dispatched as well. The Tulsa Police Department has sent one disaster relief team, which consists of eight officers.

Ten officers from the Mayes County Sheriff's Office have been deployed to Joplin.

Thirty-five workers, including firefighters, were deployed as part of the Mayes County Emergency Management team.

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Keep checking here for new developments in this story, and News On 6 viewers can watch reporter Emily Baucum's report on News On 6 at 6 p.m.