Ohio National Guard activated as Ida relief efforts continue
Sep. 3—Gov. Mike DeWine authorized the activation of the Ohio National Guard to assist with Ida recovery efforts in Louisiana.
Starting Wednesday, 250 Ohio National Guard soldiers will be on state active duty. The deployment is expected to last three weeks.
DeWine approved the activation at the request of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and he Louisiana National Guard.
The Ohio National Guard responding to Louisiana will primarily be from the 112th Transportation Battalion in North Canton, the 1485th Transportation Company in Coshocton and the 1486th Transportation Company in Mansfield.
The soldiers are expected to provide general-purpose support during their mission.
Ohio Task Force 1 activated last week as part of the storm recovery efforts. The team arrived in Lafayette, Louisiana last Saturday
Wednesday the task force was assigned to the Baton Rouge area to perform wide-area searches, which includes identifying and helping lost or trapped survivors and providing community needs assessments to local and national authorities.
Area Red Cross volunteers also are helping with recovery efforts. One of the organization's emergency response vehicles from Dayton responded to Louisiana along with a second unit from Columbus. The emergency response vehicles are used in mobile feeding operations and are also used to distribute water and other emergency supplies, according to the Red Cross.
Two more units from Cincinnati and Zanesville are scheduled to leave this weekend to help the Gulf Coast.
At least 13 deaths were contributed to Ida in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and more than 45 people were killed in the Northeast after the storm resulted in record-breaking rain in the region, according to the Associated Press.
