Lake City, Colo. (May 21, 2019) – Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, has wrapped up their flood mitigation operation, a disaster prevention effort launched in response to the rising water of Henson Creek. The two-day operation started May 18, when Team Rubicon volunteers began assisting the community with sandbag filling.
Team Rubicon had 12 volunteers who came from Arizona; Denver; Grand Junction, Colo.; Telluride, Colo.; Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Colorado Springs; and Durango, Colo. The volunteers logged 241 hours filling 2000 sandbags. The efforts of Team Rubicon’s volunteers resulted in a volunteer labor impact and community cost savings of approximately $9706.
Jamie Robertson, who served as the organization’s Task Force Leader commented, “We received a call on Wednesday afternoon asking for our assistance and leadership to manage spontaneous volunteers and conduct sandbagging operations as the City is in imminent danger from flooding due to major avalanches in March, which are now melting and creating log and ice jams. When the jams release they could cause extensive damage to the town and the local infrastructure. We were able to get volunteers into the area and begin immediate assistance by Friday morning. Team Rubicon was happy to help the community of Lake City, even though brief, it began a relationship with them and our organization, so we can continue to serve these communities and be prepared in the event of future disasters.”
Team Rubicon boasts a 100,000-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 350 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.