PANAMA CITY, Fla. (March 1, 2019) – Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, is wrapping up its five month Hurricane Michael response operation in Florida. During this operation, which began last October, Team Rubicon provided hurricane response and recovery support to Florida residents located in Jackson and Bay Counties.
Working in conjunction with state and local authorities, Team Rubicon volunteers mucked and gutted flooded homes, conducted sawyer operations to clear routes and remove fallen trees, tarped damaged roofs, and used heavy equipment to remove storm debris and provide home demolition services.
Cumulatively in Florida, Team Rubicon volunteers completed 564 work orders and contributed 117,336 work hours – assisting 1,354 individual family members and delivering $3,360,167.18 in volunteer labor impact and community cost-savings.
“At five months in duration, our Hurricane Michael response is the longest running domestic operation Team Rubicon has conducted in its history,” said William Porter, Senior Manager of Operations Support. “This operation is monumental not just for its length, or the overall community impact our teams made in Florida, but it was mounted while still continuing our large-scale response operation to Hurricane Florence in North Carolina. This is a testament to the growth and development of Team Rubicon thanks to all our volunteers and the blood, sweat, and tears they’ve selflessly poured into our mission.
To ensure continuity of service, Team Rubicon is turning all outstanding requests in its queue over to the Bay County Long Term Disaster Recovery Organization (BCLTDRO). The BCLTDRO will work with government agencies, local non-profits, and members of the Faith-Based community to continue assisting residents in the Florida panhandle affected by Hurricane Michael. Residents that would like to put in a new request for assistance can call 211, or stop by the Disaster Recovery Center located at Bay County Library at 898 W. 11th Street, Panama City, Fla. 32401.
Team Rubicon boasts a 90,000-strong, highly skilled volunteer force that helps communities stabilize and recover after a devastating disaster. Since its inception following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Team Rubicon has responded to over 320 disasters in the U.S. and around the world.
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.