How Columbus residents can get free help cleaning up storm damage

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther shared how Columbus residents can get help cleaning up downed trees or other storm damage on their property after nearly two weeks of devastating weather. At an Aug. 21 cleanup event on the South Side, Ginther was joined by members of Team Rubicon, a volunteer disaster

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Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther shared how Columbus residents can get help cleaning up downed trees or other storm damage on their property after nearly two weeks of devastating weather.

At an Aug. 21 cleanup event on the South Side, Ginther was joined by members of Team Rubicon, a volunteer disaster response group helping Columbus residents clean damage to their property across the city at no cost to the homeowners.

Much of central Ohio battled deep floodwaters Aug. 20 after overnight heavy rains. Firefighters with the Columbus Division of Fire conducted several water rescues, including at a homeless encampment near Blacklick Creek. Heavy flooding in Pataskala has also caused extensive property damage to residents.

Ginther said that residents who

need assistance with their property should contact 311.

City vehicles work to help remove debris from a South Side home after over a week of heavy storms hit the region in August.

He added that 311 has had record-level calls with 1,700 yesterday. Team Rubicon, he said, can help respond to the problems on resident's property while the city handles damage. Currently, he said, Team Rubicon is working through a list of around 85 jobs.

Ginther said he was grateful to everyone, including city employees, volunteers and Team Rubicon.

"We continue to do everything we can to keep our residents safe, our roadways open and support people suffering from these storms," Ginther said.

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther speaks with Team Rubicon volunteers, who are helping clean up residents homes damaged by storms at no cost to them.

Jim Herrel, also known as "Hagar," is the Team Rubicon incident commander for the damage in Columbus. He said dozens of people from around the country have responded to help assist in the cleanup.

Herrel said he has been deployed to many places for disaster assistance, but said the reception he has received in Columbus has "brought goosebumps" to his arms. He said that on Aug. 20 they went to the Hey Hey bar in Schumacher Place and when they went in everyone started clapping and cheering.

"You'd have thought we were the Buckeyes going into Ohio Stadium to kick Michigan's butt," said Herrel, who is from Toledo but lives in Atlanta. "But that's how we were received, it was awesome, totally awesome."

Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Columbus residents can get free help cleaning up storm damage