Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, announced early Thursday morning that they are launching an operation to support the communities in Newport that has been “affected by Winter Storm Harper”. In conjunction with state and local authorities, Team Rubicon volunteers will provide wellness checks. The operation will begin Thursday January 24th and last until Saturday January 26th.
“Winter Storm Harper has interrupted gas heating to approximately 7,100+ residents in Rhode Island.” Incident Commander, Navy veteran and Rhode Island resident Andrea Wilson said in a press release. “At Team Rubicon we have a bias for action. Our volunteers are ready to help the community.”
What’sUpNewp followed up with Wilson to ask her about the tie to Winter Storm Harper;
“Our mission is treating this as a post-winter storm wellness check on each resident due to the plummeting temps that followed WS Harper and the gas outage that occurred simultaneously. I’m not sure of the official cause yet, and we won’t put much time into that as our mission is checking on the people affected”, she said.
Team Rubicon boasts an 85,000-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 310 disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
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.
About Team Rubicon Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Team Rubicon is a nonprofit organization offering veterans a chance to continue their service by helping those affected by disasters, and also themselves. Programs and services are made possible by the support of individual donors, corporate partners, and the dedication of volunteers across the country. To join or support Team Rubicon’s mission, visit www.teamrubiconusa.org.