Freeport, Ill. (April 4, 2019) – Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, is launching an operation to provide flood response and recovery support to Illinois communities located in Winnebago and Stephenson Counties. Operations will begin on April 5.
Working in conjunction with state and local authorities, Team Rubicon volunteers will be providing damage assessments, flooded home muck-outs, debris removal, and spontaneous volunteer management to affected communities.
“It’s an honor to serve the residents of Freeport, a town that got little press but suffered no less than larger cities to the West in the wake of the recent flooding,” said Jeff Wagg, Incident Commander for Team Rubicon. “We’ll be focusing on getting as many people back in their homes as possible, and while we can’t fix everything, we can offer a bit of hope to those who might feel forgotten.”
Residents affected by the Illinois floods may request assistance through Crisis Cleanup at (833) 556-2476. Services requested through Crisis Cleanup are not guaranteed to be completed by Team Rubicon, but volunteers with the organization are manning the hotline and routing requests to vetted, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) relief agencies in the affected area.
Team Rubicon boasts a 90,000-strong, highly skilled volunteer force that helps communities stabilize and recover after a devastating natural disaster. Since its inception following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Team Rubicon has responded to 325 disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence, and Michael.
Through a strong communications infrastructure supported by our cutting-edge technological solutions, Team Rubicon volunteers efficiently and effectively respond to natural disasters and help families return to their homes as soon as possible. By giving military veteran volunteers the opportunity to continue their service through disaster response, Team Rubicon provides them an avenue to gain a renewed sense of purpose, community, and identity.