BERKELEY – Months after Hurricane Helene forged a path of destruction through the southeast, many are still recovering – a story familiar to Jersey shore residents who can’t forget the overwhelming disaster caused by Superstorm Sandy.
Six months after Helene, boots on the ground were still needed. That’s why Team Rubicon extended their presence, leading to the longest deployment of the organization’s 15-year career. They are in Toombs, Coffee, and Richmond counties in Georgia and looked into expanding into Buncombe County, N.C.
“We’re still there because there are still people who need help,” said Mike Watkins, director of branch operations for Team Rubicon. “I would say, these people need more help because they’ve been living in this situation since the onset of the storm.”
While there, the 80 disaster relief volunteers – known as Greyshirts – were helping those who have no other safety net. These are typically elderly people who are not being served by insurance and can’t do the work themselves. The volunteers have been cutting up and removing downed trees, cleaning out homes that were flooded, and putting tarps on roofs. Many of these trees, the nonprofit noted, were 100-year-old trees, so they are not so easily dealt with.
As someone who lost a house in Superstorm Sandy, Councilman James Byrnes knew what it was like to lose it all in a natural disaster.
He joined Team Rubicon to help with the recovery effort. He said his group included volunteers from all over the country who spent time in Georgia helping families.
He said just putting up a tarp in some cases is an improvement for a home. “It’s really humbling.”
According to the most recent estimates, Hurricane Helene claimed 221 lives in America, and 32 of them were in Georgia. There are still 25 people missing in North Carolina.
Formed in response to an earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian operation that helps people in natural disasters and has also provided support in such areas as the war in Ukraine. Not only do they perform immediate disaster response, but they stick around for the rebuilding as well.
All work is performed at no cost to the homeowners. There is a level of care involved to make homes as resilient as possible to future disasters.
For more information, including how to volunteer (you don’t have to be a veteran to volunteer) and donate, visit teamrubiconusa.org
