Forward Watch, January 22
Team Rubicon completes its first Gulf Coast home rebuild and now supports 11 COVID-19 vaccination sites across the country.
Gulf Coast Rebuild
Orange, TX
On January 19, Greyshirts finished repairs on the roof of Chrystal Adams’ house, making it the first home completed for the Gulf Coast Rebuild.
The Gulf Coast Rebuild is a long-term recovery effort born out of Team Rubicon’s response to Hurricane’s Laura and Delta. The goal of the operation is to serve the many residents of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana and Orange County, Texas who are still living in storm-damaged houses without the resources to repair them. By providing resilient home repair and restoration, Greyshirts are helping homeowners and their families return to a safe, comfortable living environment as quickly as possible. As of now, ten more homes have been approved for rebuild and five are under construction.
Completed Disaster Relief Operations
Silverado, CA
In December, a wildfire burned 6,686 acres in Silverado Canyon, California. Weeks after the blaze was contained, debris from the fire still proved a public nuisance and the charred terrain of the canyon posed a flash flood threat to the nearby community.
Team Rubicon responded by providing home debris cleanup and deploying sawyer and swamper crews to remove deadfall and invasive species from the nearby creek bed. The cleared creek bed will mitigate the chances of a future flood.
Navajo Nation Medical Support
Gallup, NM
At the request of the Indian Health Service, Team Rubicon is providing Greyshirt RN’s, paramedics, and EMT’s to relieve healthcare workers at the Gallup Indian Medical Center as they face a surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Since November 25, these Greyshirts have been assisting in emergency rooms and testing sites.
On December 15, Greyshirt Terri Whitson, a nurse and Navy veteran, administered the first rounds of COVID-19 vaccinations to the Gallup Indian Medical Center’s medical staff.
Vaccine Distribution Support
Team Rubicon is partnering with public, non-profit, and private healthcare agencies to assist with the rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in every way possible. Greyshirts are currently supporting 11 points of distribution and have helped administer 27,000 doses of the vaccine.
Support services include:
- Site Administration – setup and management of points of distribution, traffic control, and patient check in.
- Logistical Support – warehouse operations, inventory management, documentation, and additional wraparound tasks at points of distribution and secondary sites.
- Decompression – pre-vaccination screening of patients and observing patients for negative reactions after the vaccine has been administered.
- Volunteer Management – vetting and registering volunteers from partner organizations, training volunteers in agreed upon methods of operation, scheduling and assigning tasks as needed.
New Vaccination Support Operations
Volusia County, FL
Charlotte, NC
Clark County, NV
Jefferson, WI
Ongoing Vaccination Support Operations
Goodyear, AZ
Tuscon, AZ
Chicago, IL
Carson City, NV
Jackson, WY
Upcoming Vaccination Support Operations
Fayetteville, NC
El Paso, TX
Midland, TX