Forward Watch

Forward Watch: 28 May 2021

Team Rubicon is actively responding to four separate disaster categories in 10 cities across the country, and planning to deploy response teams into 14 more. Read on for a breakdown on how Team Rubicon is serving those in need. 

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Flood Response

Team Rubicon is preparing is responding to significant flooding in Louisiana as of this week. As of May 25, Greyshirts began deploying into Baton Rouge, Louisiana to provide muck outs to homes affected by recent flooding from storms.

We have 10 Greyshirts on the ground with another 25 by the weekend to begin work on homes.

COVID-19 VACCINATION SUPPORT

As of May 27, Team Rubicon has helped administer more than 1,603,876 COVID-19 vaccinations across 104 cities.

Interact with our live National Vaccination Tracker Dashboard here

Volunteers are providing:

  • Medical support

  • Logistical planning support

  • Miscellaneous wrap-around support services (Traffic control, queue management, sign-in administration…)

  • EOC support

Our goal is to provide vaccine distribution support so the healthcare providers can continue to provide primary care services or vaccinate.

You can take a closer look at our vaccination work in the video below, spotlighting our site in PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA:

WILDFIRE MITIGATION

Wildfires are bound to happen, but the damage left and the impact to communities can be minimized by performing volunteer-led mitigation operations ahead of wildfire season.

Team Rubicon provides chainsaw operations, thinning and removing dead vegetation that can act as wildfire fuel, and clearing trees and brush in high threat wildfire areas.

Upcoming operations include:

  • Willow, AK – May 28-30

 

  • Take a look into how Greyshirt volunteers go above and beyond to help others in their response to the Bear Fire of 2020 in BERRY, CALIFORNIA below:

INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS

MEDICAL OPS | PAPUA NEW GUINEA

On 6 April, Team Rubicon launched a medical decompression mission to Papua New Guinea. Greyshirts, including 1 doctor and 3 nurses, a team lead, and a designated logistician are supporting hospital operations in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

  • Team Rubicon is supporting the MT Hagen Hospital in the Western Highlands in the COVID ward, pediatrics and the ICU, and have assisted 318+ patients.
  • Team Rubicon is responding in coordination with the PNG Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.
  • Team Rubicon has been asked to extend services and is currently assessing opportunities to continue support.

 

MEDICAL OPS | INDIA

Team Rubicon is standing by to provide medical aid should a request be made.

Learn more about the first international operation Team Rubicon ever conducted through the story of Mark Hayward, one of the original eight volunteers who responded to Haiti’s 2010 earthquake below. 

LONG TERM OPERATIONS

Houston Rebuild – Texas

  • After Team Rubicon’s three-month response to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the organization launched a two-year recovery effort to rebuild 100 homes in the Houston area.
    • In Houston, 109 homes have been rebuilt to date, one is under construction and one in planning.

Gulf Coast Rebuild – Louisiana and Texas

    • In the Gulf Coast, nine homes have been rebuilt, eight are under construction and 25 have been approved and are in the planning phase.
    • Team Rubicon has continued its efforts in long-term recovery through home rebuilding after the successes in Houston. The new operation focuses on the Gulf Coast, specifically Calcasieu Parish, LA., and Orange County, TX.

This rebuild effort in the region of the Gulf Coast is Team Rubicon’s fourth investment to reach beyond the immediate response phase of the disaster cycle and into the recovery phase to get homeowners back into their homes as quickly as possible.

Resilient home repair on wood-framed, single-family houses is our primary focus. Depending on the damage, this may include roof repair, floor replacement, wall and ceiling installation, door and window replacement, and additional interior and exterior work required for restoration.   

Learn more about the impact of Team Rubicon’s home recovery efforts through the video below.

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