When severe weather swept through the Upper Midwest on August 10 and 11, 2026, then shifted east into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, it left flooded towns, snapped power lines, and miles of downed trees in its wake. Ohio and northern Indiana bore some of the storm’s most destructive impacts. In central and southeastern Ohio, torrential rain overwhelmed already-saturated ground, sending rivers over their banks and flooding entire towns. In northern Indiana, sustained, high-end straight-line winds tore continuous swaths of damage across the landscape, snapping power poles, toppling trees, and blocking roads.
The severe weather and flash-flooding didn’t end when the storm passed: repeated rounds of thunderstorms moved across the same waterlogged areas in the days that followed, compounding the damage. Now, Team Rubicon has launched four Ohio and Indiana disaster relief operations and is deploying up to 120 of its disaster response volunteers, known as Greyshirts, to some of the hardest-hit communities.
Quick Reaction Force Clears Cook County
Before Team Rubicon even stood up its Ohio and Indiana disaster relief operations, it first deployed a Quick Reaction Force, or QRF, to Lansing, IL. Team Rubicon’s QRFs are exceptionally local in nature, and respond as rapidly as possible after a disaster, often providing road debris management, chainsaw operations, sandbagging, and emergency operation center support.
Beginning August 15, seven Greyshirt sawyers provided damage assesments and conducted chainsaw operations in Cook County. Over the course of two days, they conducted saw work, removed trees from in front of properties so that residents could access their homes, and even cleared a few intersections of storm debris.
Ohio Disaster Relief Operations Begin
Radar and rain gauges showed 5 to 8 inches of rain fell across central and southeastern Ohio during the August 10–11 storms, sending rivers over their banks and flooding whole towns. As of July 18, 2026, Team Rubicon has stood up three Ohio disaster relief operations, with special focus placed on communities ranking high on the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index, or SVI. Social vulnerability refers to the demographic and socioeconomic factors, such as poverty, lack of access to transportation, and crowded housing, that adversely affect communities ability to recover from a disaster. SVI percentile rankings range from 0 to 1, with 1 being the highest and most at-risk. The need for disaster relief is particularly acute in communities with higher levels of social vulnerability.
Greyshirts Deploy to Perry and Muskingum Counties
In Perry County, southeast of Columbus, 4 to 6 inches of rain fell in just two hours, triggering flash flooding, emergency water rescues, and road closures. The town of Roseville, which straddles Perry and Muskingum Counties, was surrounded by floodwater, with only a single road remaining passable in or out.
With an SVI of .77 for Muskingum County, and pockets of high SVI in Perry County, the need for assistance is great in the area. To help reach those communities and increase their chances of a timely recovery, Team Rubicon is deploying up to 30 Greyshirts to the area. Beginning on August 18, the volunteers will conduct muck-outs and general debris removal in Perry and Muskingum Counties for impacted residents.
Greyshirts Begin Disaster Recovery Work in Columbus
Heavy rain and winds reported near 80 mph, along with flooding, hit Columbus and the surrounding area during the storms, knocking down trees and power lines and damaging homes and buildings across Clark, Madison, and Franklin Counties.
Beginning August 18 and running through the anticipated demobilization date of August 31, roughly 30 Greyshirts will operate out of Columbus, serving Franklin County with muck-outs and debris removal. Franklin County’s SVI of 0.65 places it among the worst 25% of Ohio counties for social vulnerability, and the county’s aging population will need additional help clearing debris.
Disaster Relief Volunteers Mobilize in Highland County
Emergency managers in Highland County, east of Cincinnati, reached out to Team Rubicon after extreme flooding and destructive straight-line winds from the derecho tore through the area during the storms. Beginning August 18 and continuing through the anticipated demobilization date of August 31, dozens of Greyshirts will conduct chainsaw operations and debris removal across Highland and Brown Counties.
Indiana Disaster Relief Operations Underway
While Ohio flooded, Northern Indiana took the brunt of the storm’s destructive straight-line winds. On August 11, the system intensified into a full derecho as it crossed the region, and sustained, high-end winds cut long, continuous swaths of damage across the northern tier of the state. Multiple counties reported extensive treefall, snapped utility poles, blocked roads, and scattered structural damage, with gusts reaching well into the destructive range. The storm’s speed and organization drove widespread power outages and communication disruptions across the region.
LaPorte County sat directly in the core of the damage path, with communities experiencing heavy treefall, downed power lines, blocked roadways, and damage to homes, barns, and outbuildings. Lake County also reported extensive damage and requested Team Rubicon’s assistance.
Northern Indiana contains multiple census tracts with elevated social vulnerability, particularly in communities with lower household income, higher proportions of seniors and single-parent households, and aging housing stock—factors that complicate disaster recovery, especially during prolonged power outages or in the face of back-to-back storms.
The Indiana disaster relief operation will focus on helping residents address the immediate damage left by the derecho. Team Rubicon has begun mobilizing more than two dozen Greyshirts to support Lake County and the surrounding region where response efforts, including roof tarping, chainsaw operations, muck-outs, and debris removal, will begin August 18 and are expected to continue through the end of the month.
Team Rubicon Eyes Additional Disaster Relief Operations as Ohio and Indiana Efforts to Continue Through August
With four operations now underway, Team Rubicon’s Greyshirts will continue providing disaster relief across Ohio and Indiana through August 31, 2026. Volunteers will clear debris, conduct chainsaw operations and muck-outs, tarp damaged roofs, and help residents take the first steps toward recovery. Together, the operations are expected to bring roughly 120 volunteers into communities still recovering from one of the region’s most destructive storm systems in years.
Meanwhile, Team Rubicon has disaster response teams assessing damage and unmet need for assistance elsewhere in Indiana and in Kentucky. The veteran-led nonprofit is also readying for new and addional operations as more storms threaten to bring flooding and damage to already innudated Midwest and Ohio River Valley.
