Gordon Soderberg Options for this story The Veterans Green Bus has returned to Detroit after almost a year on the road. We left Detroit just after Halloween of last year to help Team Rubicon USA respond to hurricane Sandy. Together we set up the volunteer organizational infrastructure and coordination in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York. Over the next four weeks our forward operating base was the hub of the majority of volunteer coordination, tooling and work orders for the volunteers organizations and individuals who just wanted to help. We were able to do this by deploying an advance team using military and federal emergency training, and combined it with new warfare tactics and software to establish a presence, scout the area of operations, set up barracks housing and a forward operating base. Establishing internet and radio communications while meeting with the local emergency response officials, community leaders and assessing the immediate safety concerns of the community. The task of the first few hours was to be able to effectively triage and coordinate the attack on the damage done to the community. We accomplished this within hours of the hurricanes landfall. Over the next few days we flew in 350 VERT members of Team Rubicon from all over the country. They spearheaded the ramp up of scouting, tools library, maintenance, personal protection equipment and decontamination stations to service the increasing number of volunteers. Over the next several weeks, we created the data base of work orders establishing certification and credentialing verifications, and training programs for volunteers to taking care of securing home owners’ personal property, removing downed trees, storm debris, mucking and gutting, then finally mold remediation. Team Rubicon USA is a national organization of Veteran first responders. Their mission is to bridge the gap between no help and long term help. The Veterans Green Bus is a separate national non-profit that supports organizations, using our sustainable energy solutions for transporting volunteers, tools, supplies and communications to establish a 24/7 forward operating base. We are typically the first ones in and the last ones out. We left Rockaway Beach New York 5 months later, only after helping Team Rubicon fully transition work order intake volunteer coordination, tools and supply chain to New York Cares, Americorps, and Civilian Conservation Corps. We then went on a national tour to demonstrate our sustainable energy solutions for disaster response. We are back in Detroit to establish our own Forward Operating Base and create and full time 24/7 presence to help address the disaster that has been 50 years or more in the making. We won’t be able to work as fast as we can during a hurricane response, but the model we intend to use in the same with one exception. When we leave it will be to help other communities of veterans start similar programs, or respond to a national disaster with Team Rubicon from our Base of Operations in the Motor City — at The Veterans Green Bus.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 11:56:46 +0000
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