Forward Watch, November 20
A look at Team Rubicon’s disaster relief operations, including a new hurricane response in Honduras.
Core Operations Overview
As of November 19, Team Rubicon has assisted over 3,403 individuals on 43 Core Operations responses in 2020.
New Operations
Hurricanes Eta and Iota
Team Rubicon has a recon team in Honduras to assess the damage from Hurricanes Eta and Iota.
Situation Report
Category 4 Hurricane Eta made landfall in Nicaragua on November 3 causing floods and landslides that claimed 130 lives and affected over 2.5 million people in Central America. Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala suffered the worst of the damage.
Less than two weeks later, Category 4 Hurricane Iota came ashore in Nicaragua only 15 miles away from where Hurricane Eta made landfall. Additional flooding and high winds caused by Iota exacerbated the developing humanitarian crisis.
Because of the storms’ similar paths many communities were hit twice and saw their recovery efforts thwarted. Iota has caused at least 19 fatalities and thousands of evacuees now live without access to food, water, shelter, and essential supplies.
How Team Rubicon is Responding
Team Rubicon’s recon team on the ground in Honduras will connect with COPECO (Honduras’s equivalent to FEMA) to determine what type of assistance to provide.
Victoria, TX
The Victoria County Long Term Recovery Group has requested assistance from Team Rubicon for heavy equipment demolition operations.
Greyshirts are being be sent to demolish 11 condemned properties that were severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey and the resulting flooding in 2017.
The owners of these properties will be moved into new, hurricane resistant homes.
Continuing Operations
Hurricane Sally Response
Team Rubicon continues to serve the residents of Alabama and Florida on the Gulf Coast as they recover from Hurricane Sally.
As of November 19, 25 Greyshirts are on the ground between Robertsdale, AL and Pensacola, FL. In total, 235 Greyshirts have deployed to provide roof tarping, expedient home repair, and debris management for this community.
Greyshirts have assisted 449 individuals and completed 197 work orders. There are still 43 work orders remaining.
Hurricanes Laura and Delta Response
Team Rubicon continues to serve the residents of Calcasieu Parish as they recover from Hurricanes Laura and Delta.
As of November 19, 75 Greyshirts are on the ground in Lake Charles, LA. In total, 791 Greyshirts have deployed to provide route clearance, expedient home repair, and debris management for this community.
Greyshirts have assisted 814 individuals and completed 306 work orders. There are still 61 more work orders remaining.
Instructors on site have skilled up a total of 613 Greyshirts as part of the Disaster Training Camp, including 169 new sawyers and 121 roof tarpers.
Completed Operations
Washington D.C.
In the nation’s capital, Greyshirts finished the muck out of a family home damaged from flooding caused by heavy rain. Their service is a great lift for the family, who has children with severe asthma.
Orange, TX
After nearly ten weeks of hard work, Team Rubicon has demobilized its response to Hurricane Laura in Orange County, TX.
Between early September and October 31, more than 368 Greyshirts deployed to this community to provide residents with sawyer work, expedient home repair, roof tarping, and debris management.
Team Rubicon assisted 495 individuals and completed 199 work orders on this operation.