Volunteers to the rescue

Hurricane Laura made landfall Thursday morning with sustained winds of 150 mph, wreaking havoc on much of the east Texas and Louisiana coastline and devastating the city of Lake Charles, so far claiming the lives of at least 14 people.

While thousands of Texans in the path of Hurricane Laura were seeking shelter or evacuating, Team Rubicon, an international disaster-relief organization founded in 2010 by post-9/11 war veterans, was headed toward the danger.

Founded by former Marines Jake Wood and William McNulty after the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake that devastated Haiti, Team Rubicon has grown from eight to 80,000 volunteers—nearly 70 percent of whom are veterans— and has responded to some 300 disasters around the globe with immediate rescue and relief operations, medical care and housing.

Team Rubicon volunteers are serving those communities hardest hit by Hurricane Laura. “We currently have 24 volunteers activated in Texas and Louisiana in response to Hurricane Laura,” William Porter, a U.S. Air Force veteran who works with Team Rubicon in its Dallas-based National Operations Center, told us. “It is really about trying to find the hardest hit areas with the most need . . . then helping those locations as quickly as possible.”

In the weeks ahead, Team Rubicon will no doubt be helping the victims of Hurricane Laura in any way they can, putting their military training and expertise to use to save lives and bring relief to those suffering the most, just as they did in the wake of the tornado that hit Dallas last October and in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. This is an example others can follow during a national disaster, public health crisis, or simply to help those in your community suffering and in need of assistance.

In an often cynical and divisive time, please give thanks for these men and women who have chosen to serve our country, first in the military, and later as civilians and veterans, saving lives and providing care and compassion in a time of great need.