Omaha, Neb. (March 30, 2019) – Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, has launched two operations to provide flood response and recovery support to Nebraska communities located in Sarpy, Cass, Colfax, and Platte Counties. Operations in Sarpy and Cass Counties began on March 22. And, operations in Colfax and Platte Counties began on March 30.
Working in conjunction with state and local authorities, Team Rubicon volunteers are providing damage assessments, flooded home muck-outs, debris removal, and spontaneous volunteer management to affected communities.
“Given its geographic location, not many homeowners have flood insurance in Nebraska, which can make recovering from these historic floods more expensive and difficult,” said Daniel Turpin, Incident Commander for Team Rubicon. “By performing our work free of charge, Team Rubicon will ease this burden for many and help these communities recover and get on the road to rebuilding as quickly as possible.”
Residents affected by the Nebraska 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.
“Winter Storm Ulmer flooded many communities in Nebraska and across the Midwest,” said William Porter, Senior Manager of Operations Support at Team Rubicon. “While flood waters are beginning to recede in some areas, allowing us to launch our first two response operations, the threat of future flooding still exists as more rain and snowpack melt is forecasted. We will continue to monitor the situation across the Midwest and will scale and launch additional flood response operations as needed to support affected communities.”
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.