DALLAS (September 5, 2019) – Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, is launching an operation in Great Abaco and Grand Bahama to assist in on-going hurricane response and recovery efforts. To deliver as much impact as possible in affected communities, the non-profit’s Hurricane Dorian response operation will take a two-pronged approach – pulling both from the organization’s mobile medical and traditional core capabilities.
To help support immediate and emerging healthcare needs, the organization is deploying its WHO-verified Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Type 1 Mobile to Great Abaco Island. Working in coordination with the broader response framework in the Bahamas, Team Rubicon’s EMT Type 1 Mobile will be working to help stabilize the situation, provide mobile medical care in hard-to-reach and remote areas, and helping to monitor for and prevent disease outbreaks.
“Hurricane Dorian is one of the strongest Hurricanes to make landfall in the Atlantic. It left behind widespread devastation and cut-off many from crucial services – including easy access to health care,” said William Porter, Senior Manager of Operations Support. “We’re uniquely equipped to provide life-saving care in disaster zones and austere environments and look forward to collaborating with the Bahamas Ministry of Health to minimize the suffering Hurricane Dorian has caused.”
In addition to providing mobile medical services, Team Rubicon is leaning into the situation and launching an operation to assist communities with debris management in Great Abaco and Grand Bahama. To support early response efforts and help affected communities get on the road to rebuilding, the organization is deploying sawyer teams to clear roads and remove downed or hazard trees. And, Team Rubicon plans to deploy additional teams of volunteers to provide expedient home repairs, flooded home muck-outs, roof tarping, and heavy equipment operations.
“Our teams are moving into the Bahamas aggressively in order to reach survivors of Dorian as quickly as possible,” said Jake Wood, Co-Founder and CEO. “It’s important to note that this is a broad effort spanning dozens of partners, and we look forward to coordinating efforts with all of them. And, we ask that our fellow Americans do the right thing and help fuel efforts to assist our neighbors in the Bahamas with financial support.”
In June 2018, Team Rubicon received verification from the WHO as an EMT Type 1 Mobile. Team Rubicon’s EMT Type 1 Mobile deploys rapidly to disaster zones around the world to stand-up mobile field clinics and provide life-saving care in austere environments. The expert teams are completely self-sufficient and are equipped with temporary shelters, a robust medication supply, and best-in-class technological support. Team Rubicon’s EMT Type 1 Mobile is capable of providing care for 100 patients per day.
Team Rubicon boasts a 100,000-strong, highly skilled volunteer force that helps communities prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. Since its inception following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Team Rubicon has responded to over 390 disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence, and Michael in the U.S. as well as Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique.
Through a strong communications infrastructure supported by cutting-edge technological solutions, Team Rubicon volunteers efficiently and effectively respond to natural disasters and humanitarian crises to provide crucial support to affected communities. 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