Photo By Tech. Sgt. Megan Floyd | U.S. Soldiers from the South Carolina National Guard 122nd Engineer Battalion's 124th...... read more read more
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BRANCHVILLE, S.C. - U.S. Soldiers from multiple units assigned to South Carolina National Guard's 122 Engineer Battalion, repair a section of Hope Road damaged by floodwaters here, Oct. 22.
The recent historic flood in S.C. caused washouts and severe damage to transportation infrastructure all across the Midlands, requiring much-needed rapid repairs by engineer units to assist counties and restore normal operations to local populations.
Hope Road was littered with ruts and abscesses that were eroded when nearby Edisto River overflowed during the massive flooding, said Sgt. Joshua Edwards, a horizontal construction engineer with the 124th Engineer Company. Some holes were blocking access to residences completely.
The engineers used a High-Mobility Engineer Excavator to move dirt and sand to fill-in deep holes and repair dangerous sections of roadway, allowing residents to travel safely.
“Some people haven’t actually come back to their homes yet because of the condition of the road,” said 1st Lt. Darrion Lemon, the platoon leader for the 1221st Engineer Company, from Graniteville.
As of today, more than 680 South Carolina National Guard members are activated to accomplish recovery missions, primarily consisting of road construction efforts to make roadways passable.
“We’ve lived here about 17 years,” said Bruce Koon, homeowner. “We use the road about three or four times a day.”
The surface of the road wasn’t the only thing that needed attention. A number of culverts had been clogged or failed completely. Culverts are placed under the roadways so that the water can flow through it freely without eroding the earth around it. The Soldiers for this mission in Bamberg County are scheduled to remove and replace three culverts on Hope Road alone.
“I’m not very versed on what the National Guard is all about, but it’s very beneficial anytime you can get some help from people who understand what’s going on and who are willing to pitch in and help get things cleaned up and back in good working order,” said Koon.
There are three South Carolina National Guard engineer teams, from the 122nd Engineer Battalion, that will complete eight different road reconstruction projects by the end of the week, said Lemon.
To date, more than 350 missions have been completed during the flood response, and more than 50 remain ongoing.
| Date Taken: | 10.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.23.2015 11:11 |
| Story ID: | 179748 |
| Location: | BRANCHVILLE, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 168 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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