The Loveland-Symmes Fire Department's swift water rescue team pulled flood victims from rising water in Perry County on Aug. 12, saving several lives during one of Ohio's worst flooding emergencies this summer.

Task Force One, the department's special operations unit, deployed roughly 80 miles east to southeastern Ohio after Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency for Perry and Muskingum counties. The team assisted with rescues after storms dumped six to seven inches of rain across the region, trapping residents in homes and cutting off roads.

The city of Loveland confirmed the crew's life-saving work in a statement on its official Facebook page, thanking the team and asking residents to keep Perry County in their thoughts, according to the Clermont Guardian.

The flooding displaced approximately 200 Perry County residents, according to the Columbus Dispatch. In Roseville, a village of about 1,500 people nearly isolated by floodwater, one person died Aug. 11, after flooded roads prevented first responders from reaching them during a medical emergency. Only one road into the village remained passable.

DeWine signed the emergency declaration Aug. 11, activating 40 Ohio National Guard members and 20 tactical vehicles to support rescue and evacuation efforts. He toured damage in Perry and Muskingum counties the following day, visiting displaced residents in Crooksville, according to the governor's office.

"These are resilient communities, and they will come back from this," DeWine said Wednesday during his tour. "The next step is to conduct assessments to determine the extent of the damage across Perry, Muskingum, and the other Ohio counties impacted by flooding and wind damage."

Task Force One includes a dedicated dive division and provides underwater search, rescue and recovery along with tactical emergency medical support across southwestern Ohio. The unit responds when local water rescue resources are overwhelmed. Multiple agencies joined the Perry County response, including the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office, the Walhonding Valley Fire District Dive Team and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources swift-water rescue personnel.

The same storm system knocked out power to 40,000 homes and businesses in Clermont County at its peak, as we reported Wednesday. About 26,000 remained without power as of Wednesday morning, according to the Clermont County Emergency Management Agency.

The Loveland-Symmes Fire Department serves about 28,000 residents from four firehouses and holds a Class 1 Public Protection Classification, a rating shared by only a few hundred departments nationwide.

A flood watch remained in effect across southeastern Ohio through the morning of Aug. 14, as saturated soils and additional thunderstorms could produce renewed flooding.