Members of the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group, perform rescue in partnership with local and state emergency first responders in the town of Rainelle, W.Va., following severe weather and flooding throughout the state 24 June, 2016.
06.25.2016
Story by Capt. Sean Delpech
310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command
310th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) PRESS RELEASE
RAINELLE, W.Va. – Approximately 14 Soldiers from the Army Reserve’s 811th Ordnance Company have volunteered to brave flooding waters and mud slides around the city of Rainelle, W.Va. to provide rescue operations, route clearance and shelter in partnership with the town of Rainelle this weekend.
Flooding has reached historic proportions in the Rainelle, West Virginia area, causing massive amounts of property damage and endangering thousands of lives.
The flood prompted the town mayor to request emergency assistance from the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group.
The Soldiers of the 811th Ordnance Company became part of a coordinated emergency response effort, using military equipment to clear debris and transport residents to safety, and have housed and fed town residents that were displaced by the flooding in the area.
Forty-four counties in the West Virginia were under a declared state of emergency from Thursday, over the weekend due to high flooding, with many receiving the worst flooding recorded. Local rivers had reached historically high levels. Approximately 500,000 residents lost electricity initially, with many residents of the state left homeless, and at least 26 people recorded as casualties.
Although communities around the state are in the process of recovery, communities such as the town of Rainelle have been left with stranded residents, downed phone lines, damaged infrastructure and blocked roads.
Members of the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group, perform rescue operations and emergency assistance in partnership with local and state emergency first responders in the town of Rainelle, W.Va., following severe weather and flooding throughout the state 24 June, 2016.
Members of the 811th Ordnance Company, 321st Ordnance Battalion, 38th Regional Support Group, perform rescue in partnership with local and state emergency first responders in the town of Rainelle, W.Va., following severe weather and flooding throughout the state 24 June, 2016.
