Ranlo officers, fire personnel praised for Lake Lure relief work

Ranlo town council on Tuesday heard a report on a recent multi-agency hurricane-relief deployment to the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area of North Carolina, where Ranlo police and fire personnel joined other municipal teams to search debris, provide security and aid recovery efforts.

The presentation, introduced by a town presenter, described a mission that ran Oct. 7—0 and Oct. 12 and involved tasks such as screening debris loads for items needing investigation, traffic and crowd control, drone searches and general cleanup support. The presenter said Ranlo's UTVs and a drone were key assets that state teams lacked on arrival.

Chief Robert Lawson of Dallas, who identified himself to the council, spoke about his experience on the deployment and praised Ranlo's officers and fire personnel. "You've got a good group of officers," Lawson said, calling the joint response a memorable example of interagency cooperation and noting the dedication and morale of teams working long hours away from home. A food-truck volunteer told the board that workers left early and returned late while feeding both responders and affected residents, underscoring the long service shifts volunteers and staff worked on the mission.

The presentation included photos of damaged bridges, piled debris and flooded marinas to illustrate the scale of destruction crews encountered. Council members and presenters repeatedly thanked the responders for their work and noted the teams' role in stabilizing the immediate post-storm situation.

The council did not record a formal vote related to the deployment during the portion of the meeting that was transcribed; the presentation was accepted and the board moved on to financial and other business.