But where their boats can't go, Houston's new fleet of high water rescue trucks now does.
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For the first time on Thursday, five new military-grade high water rescue trucks were deployed throughout Houston to help with rescue missions.
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The trucks were acquired at no cost to the city through a military surplus program. The city only had to pay $1,500 for a paint job to brand the vehicles.
One rescued a woman in a wheelchair, trapped where neither an ambulance nor a boat could reach her.
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"With firefighters tending to the patient in the back, we just drive directly to SW Memorial Hospital," Lt. Randall Upton said.
The back of each truck is covered with a canopy, and has life jackets and enough space to seat more than a dozen people. The front of each truck features a loudspeaker that can be heard from a quarter-mile away.
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