Team Rubicon's Posterous

Team Rubicon and STAR-TIDES

Disaster response and humanitarian assistance is in constant refinement. What separates Team Rubicon is its ability to unite the skills and experiences of military veterans with medical professionals to deploy vanguard teams that bridge the gap between catastrophe and conventional aid response.

 

To help with establishing best practices in disaster response, Team Rubicon has had the pleasure of establishing a working relationship with Sustainable Technologies, Accelerated Research, Transportable Infrastructures, for Development and Emergency Support (STAR-TIDES), a research project which is “dedicated to open-source knowledge sharing to promote sustainable support to populations under severe stress post-war, post-disaster, or impoverished, in foreign or domestic context, for short-term or long-term (multi-year) operations.”

The STAR-TIDES team has a wealth of academic and field experience and is specifically focused on streamlining communications and operations between civil, military, NGO, and IO organizations operating in these environments. Team Rubicon is excited about being able to avail itself to the STAR-TIDES project. 

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TR's East Coast Team Hits the Hard Ball for Tunnels to Towers

Led by East Coast Coordinator Matt Pelak, TR took to the hard ball in NYC's 2011 Tunnels to Towers Run. On September 11th, firefighter Stephen Siller had just gotten off the late shift at Squad 1, Park Slope, Brooklyn. He was on his way to play golf with his brothers on that bright clear day when his scanner told of the first plane hitting the Twin Towers. When he heard the news, he called his wife Sally to tell her he would be late because he had to help those in need. He returned to Squad 1 to get his gear, then took his final heroic steps to the World Trade Center. When Stephen drove his truck to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it was already closed to traffic. With sixty pounds of gear strapped to his back, he ran through the Tunnel, hoping to meet up with his own company, Squad 1. Read more at Tunnels to Towers. 

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TR Vermont reflection from Army veteran Chris Safulko

TR’s Vermont Response Team assembled at approximately 11 PM on Thursday in Dorset, VT. After scouring local news and several calls to emergency services throughout the state we determined that the Town of Grafton would be our first stop. Upon our arrival in Grafton we were directed to Idyll Dairy Farm. Fortunately Idyll Dairy Farm’s livestock had been spared during the flood. As the only dairy farm in Grafton, and primary dairy supplier for the farmer owned co-op Cabot Cheese; Idyll Farms is critical to the local economy. Flood water had flattened fencing and littered the cow pasture with debris. As a result the cows could not be grazed. The Vermont response team assisted the staff at Idyll Farm in clearing all of the flood debris. With the pastures cleared of debris, the fences were repaired and operations resumed to normal. 

The team then proceeded to Jamaica, VT and the good people there informed us that they were quite fortunate and that another town further down the road had been hit worse.  We quickly learned this testament to the resiliency of everyone in the green mountain state. Several homes in Jamaica suffered severe damage or were erased by Hurricane Irene. The Green Mountain team spent the rest of the day clearing debris from a residence of an elderly couple that had been inundated by flood water, silt and debris. The TR team improved the safety and comfort for this couple by clearing out several hundred pounds of sediment from their basement thereby mitigating the risk of mold growth. I am amazed by how quickly the TR team, most of which were complete strangers yesterday, assembled into a tight knit group. The resilience of the Jamaica community was also apparent, they rarely asked for assistance, supported each other tirelessly and will continue to labor to reassemble their community.

On Saturday the team returned to Jamaica and continued to assist with recovery operations. As the forecast predicted more rain on Sunday the team shifted gears and began to assist in the preparation for additional flooding. Before leaving Jamaica the team helped establish shelter locations while also distributing clean up supplies to residences most affected by the flood. This effort was much like the day before when Jamaica’s residents worked side by side with TR volunteers to deliver help where it was needed most. It is clear to me that TR’s flexibility is one of its greatest assets. Within a few hours the team transitioned from shelter setup to supply distribution and on to the next location.

By midday the team had arrived in Wardsboro, VT; a town that had been completely isolated until Wednesday. TR’s Vermont Response Team Leader JC McGreehan attended Wardsboro’s first town hall meeting following Hurricane Irene. One of the unique challenges presented by widespread flooding in Vermont has been the significant distance and isolation between affected areas. It is not uncommon to see one house completely or partially washed away in close proximity to another that is entirely intact. The overworked Wardsboro Fire Department opened its doors to Team Rubicon and asked it to assist in organizing relief efforts. The team immediately split to the four corners of Wardsboro to evaluate damage and recruit volunteers. In many ways TR and Wardsboro were a perfect match. The team stepped in, partnered immediately with local experts and took concrete steps toward progress and recovery. By the end of the day information and available services had been disseminated to the community. The team was also able to check on more remote parts of the community that had been cut off by washed out bridges.

The recovery has a long way to go here in Vermont. And the residents here are incredibly resilient, capable and resourceful. Without a doubt TR has leant a much appreciated helping hand to some of its most vulnerable residents. I also believe TR will leave Vermont with several new lessons learned regarding flood disaster response.

-Chris Safulko, US Army veteran

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Day 1 Update from TR Vermont

TR activated a ten man East Coast team after severe flooding caused by Hurricane Irene devastated the New England area. After rallying in Albany, NY, TR staged at the residence of Charles Macintosh in Manchester, VT on the evening of 1 September.


TR spent the morning of its first day of operations at the Ralston Farm, a regional asset that provides dairy to cheese and yogurt production facilities in the area. The Ralston Farm was heavily damaged from the flooding and TR removed debris impacting its operations.


In the afternoon TR moved to Jamaica, VT to further assist in flood relief. After plugging into the local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) the team dug out a heavily flooded basement at a local residence.



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Hollywood, MD: Day 2 Reflection by Kirk Jackson

Day 2 on Whiskey Creek Road in Hollywood, MD was more of the same - cut, clear, sharpen, repeat.  TR members were able to help clear two more driveways and remove another five compromised trees that neighbors had labeled as "precarious", a word that seemed to be used often to describe the situation in our two days there.

As the morning turned into afternoon, it was apparent that we had bridged the gap.  Neighbors, content on the progressed condition of their property, were now walking down the street to help others.  It was about time for us to hit the road for the long drive ahead, but not before setting up a saw chain sharpening station.  As we made our way up the street to begin organizing and loading our gear, we told everyone we saw to bring by their chains for a good sharpening.  The offer was accepted as TR volunteer Thomas Hudson parked himself on top of the generator and sharpened upwards of 15 chains as they were dropped off.  It is only fair to note that a few beers were dropped off as well, a gesture that TR members are always highly appreciative of at the end of a hot day. You know...TR winds down.

One final driveway belonging to a young man named Ben still needed clearing.  We had worked on it the previous day, and with half of the 30 large trees still blocking his long driveway, it pained us to have to leave.  But no sooner had we dropped in when neighbors like Jimmy and Glenn, whom we had come to know over the last two days, walked up with sharpened chainsaws in hand.  Other neighbors and family members trickled into the driveway to help out or watch the community effort as the sun began to lower behind the lucky surviving trees.  We thanked the residents of Whiskey Creek Road for the opportunity to help, then loaded up and drove off to the beautiful sounds of a "chainsaw symphony" in what truly felt like a Hollywood ending.

Swell music.
Roll credits.

UPDATE:  Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley paid a visit to the residents of Whiskey Creek Road this morning to survey the damage.  According to TheBaynet.com a coordinated cleanup effort is in the works in addition to funds from the county's reserve to aid in the costs.


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Congressman Bachus

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Congressman Spencer Bachus, longtime representative of Alabama, meets with TR's Jake Wood in Washington DC.   Team Rubicon discussed TRs involvement in the Tuscaloosa tornado response.

The Congressman was invited to TR's fundraiser until Wood discovered he was an Auburn football fan.  Says Wood, "Auburn beat my Badger team my junior season....I can't associate with that."