Ohio Military Reserve Answers the Call as Historic Flooding Devastates Southeast Ohio
Communities across southeastern Ohio are recovering from devastating flash flooding after repeated rounds of severe thunderstorms dumped extraordinary amounts of rain across the region in August. Perry and Muskingum counties were among the hardest hit, with six to seven inches of rain falling during the initial storm system and overwhelming creeks, roads, bridges and drainage systems. Homes and businesses were inundated with water, destroying appliances, vehicles and personal family possessions. Roads became impassable, vehicles were stranded, and entire neighborhoods were temporarily cut off by the rising water. In Crooksville and the nearby Rose Farm area alone, local officials estimated that approximately 380 residents were displaced from their homes.
The flooding brought significant hardship to Ohioan’s throughout the affected communities. Families returned to homes where furniture, appliances and personal possessions had been destroyed, while businesses faced extensive cleanup and potentially lengthy closures. Crooksville, Roseville, New Lexington, Corning and other communities throughout the region suffered significant damage, and emergency shelters were established for displaced residents. The disaster also turned deadly when one person in Roseville died during a medical emergency after floodwaters prevented emergency responders from reaching the individual.
The situation became even more difficult when another round of severe weather struck before communities had recovered from the initial flooding. Perry County Commissioner Chase Bennett described residents as going from one level of devastation to another as renewed flooding damaged areas that had only begun cleanup efforts. Homes again took on water, additional rescues and evacuations were required, and damaged roads and bridges complicated both emergency response and the beginning of long-term recovery.
Recognizing that local resources were being overwhelmed, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in Perry and Muskingum counties on August 11 and activated the Ohio National Guard and Ohio Military Reserve (OHMR) to support local emergency responders. The initial deployment included 40 Soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard’s 1484th Transportation Company and 1485th Transportation Company, along with 20 Light Medium Tactical Vehicles capable of operating in conditions where ordinary vehicles could not. Their initial mission centered on assisting local first responders with rescues and evacuations in flooded communities.
When additional rainfall again struck the region, Governor DeWine expanded the state response into Perry, Muskingum and Morgan counties. Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th Engineer Brigade, the 945th Engineer Company, and the 204th Engineer Detachment joined the recovery effort, along with Airmen from the 200th Red Horse Squadron. Their missions included clearing debris from roads, bridges, rights of way and other public areas, supporting sandbagging operations and helping restore access to communities damaged by the floodwaters. The Ohio State Highway Patrol assisted with traffic control while Ohio Department of Transportation crews and other state agencies worked alongside military personnel and local first responders.
More units from The Ohio Military Reserve, a component of The Ohio State Defense Force which is composed of: the Ohio Military Reserve, the Ohio Naval Militia and the Ohio Cyber Reserve. Unlike the federally funded National Guard, these forces fall within the command of The Governor of and have an exclusively state focused mission. They provide Ohio with additional military personnel and specialized capabilities that remain available to the Governor for emergencies and other missions within the state.
During the flooding response, members of the Ohio Military Reserve’s 4th Civil Support and Sustainment Brigade, worked alongside personnel from the Ohio Naval Militia. They deployed to Perry County to support emergency assistance operations. While National Guard units carried out rescue, engineering and debris-removal missions, Ohio Military Reserve Soldiers helped maintain another critical part of the response, ensuring that affected Ohioans had access to basic necessities. OHMR personnel assisted with the distribution of food and water to communities impacted by the disaster, helping sustain families coping with flooded homes, damaged infrastructure and interrupted access to normal services.
That mission closely reflects what the Ohio Military Reserve is specifically organized and trained to do. The OHMR’s primary emergency-management responsibilities include Emergency Support Functions like Mass Care, and Logistics and Resource Support. Its Soldiers train for disaster relief, shelter management, shelter reception, security and management, medical support, logistics, points of distribution and other missions designed to augment state and local emergency-response agencies.
For the Soldiers of the Ohio Military Reserve, the southeastern Ohio flooding demonstrated why these capabilities matter. Disaster response is about far more than the dramatic moments of rescuing residents from rising water. Once survivors are brought to safety, someone must help establish shelters, move supplies, distribute food and drinking water, ensure internal security at shelters, coordinate resources and sustain affected communities while roads, utilities and local services are restored. Those support missions can continue for days or weeks after the floodwaters begin to recede, and they are precisely the types of missions The Ohio Military Reserve train and always stand ready to respond at a moments notice.
While National Guard units require 48-72 hours* to mobilize and deploy, most State Defense Forces can deploy their troops within 2 to 3 hours of an order being issued.
The response also demonstrated the value of maintaining a capable State Defense Force alongside the National Guard. As Army and Air National Guard personnel conducted high-water rescue, engineering and infrastructure-support missions, Ohio Military Reserve Soldiers and Ohio Naval Militia personnel provided additional manpower for humanitarian and logistical operations. Together with first responders, state agencies and community volunteers, Ohio’s military forces provided a layered response to one of the region’s most destructive recent natural disasters, helping Ohioans through the immediate emergency and beginning the difficult process of recovery.
*Timeframe provided by a former Army National Guard Officer on the typical mobilization and deployment of a Army National Guard unit.
StateDefenseForce.com commends the men and women of The Ohio State Defense Force for always being trained and ready to respond to any natural disaster. This legacy is not anything new, as The Ohio State Defense Force have been performing such missions since 1917.
NSWERING THE CALL
Ohio National Guard and State Defense Force members are supporting communities across Southeastern Ohio following severe flooding that damaged roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Soldiers with the 1484th and 1485th Transportation companies were initially activated to assist local first responders with rescue and evacuation efforts in Perry and Muskingum counties.
Following another round of flooding, Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th Engineer Brigade, the 945th Engineer Company and the 204th Engineer Detachment (Construction Management Team), along with Airmen from the 200th RED HORSE Squadron, joined recovery efforts to clear debris from roadways, bridges, rights of way and other public areas, as well as support sandbagging operations.
State Defense Force members from the Ohio Military Reserve’s 4th Civil Support and Sustainment Brigade and the Ohio Naval Militia also supported emergency assistance efforts in Perry County by distributing food and water to affected communities.
When Ohioans need help, our Soldiers, Airmen and State Defense Force members are ready to serve.
