By Morgan Anderson, OCJ FFA Reporter
On March 14, an EF-2 tornado — a tornado with wind speeds of 111-135 miles per hour — touched down in central Union County, according to the National Weather Service. However, that tornado was only one of eight to go through the area.
By March 17, Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency for 11 counties in Northwest Ohio, which included Union, Richland, Miami, Mercer, Logan, Licking, Hancock, Delaware, Crawford and Auglaize. Under the order, all relevant state departments provided resources and personnel for recovery due to the significant damage.
Trapp Farms, the family farm of Emerson Trapp, a former member of the Marysville FFA Chapter in Union County, was hit with immeasurable damage. Trapp, now a freshman at The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute, came home to help his family as soon as he learned what happened.
“The amount of debris in the fields that were in the path of the tornado was overwhelming,” said Chris Trapp, Emerson’s mother.
Cooper Woodson, a Marysville senior, lives a few miles away from Trapp Farms.
“There were corn bins that still had thousands of pounds of corn in them that got shredded, and there were barns that got destroyed,” Woodson said. “It got so bad that there were pieces of metal from the destruction up on the telephone lines. The wind blew most of it back about a half mile down the road.”
But for the Marysville FFA Chapter, sitting and watching was not an option. Instead, they got to work.
“The blue jacket binds us all, and it is something that means something,” said Sheri Anderson, FFA advisor of the Marysville FFA Chapter. “We knew the need was great and that many hands would make light work. By coming together, we could help lighten the load.”
Over 60 people came together just 3 days after the tornado to help clear debris and damage from over 300 acres of land at the farm.
“Community members brought four-wheelers, trucks, trailers and semis from all over to help make a dent in this tragedy,” said Libby Ramge, a Marysville senior.
Anderson said anyone and everyone was showing up to help.
“The outpouring of support was amazing! A quick text message to members and an all-call on social media turned around over 60 volunteers in under 24 hours,” Anderson said. “Other members of the community were helping well before we got there and after. Local businesses, farmers, neighbors and strangers were all showing.”
Even amid catastrophe, the blue jacket brings people together.
“There is a true family that comes with being an FFA member,” Ramge said. “You never think twice about helping a family member in need.”
The Trapp Family said they were in awe of the support they received.
“A task that we thought would take multiple days was completed in a few hours,” Chris Trapp said. “The outpour of help from our community, including the FFA, has helped make the clean-up process not only manageable but rewarding. We’ve seen the best of Marysville during this challenging time.”
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