BlackFive

Message (which has my complete support) from Jake Wood & Will McNulty - founders of Team Rubicon:

As this week draws to a close we reflect back upon the devastating events of Hurricane Sandy. The destruction left in the wake of this storm is epic in proportion, but so is the resiliency of the communities hit. Among the horror we find hope, and with hope we find a way forward.

Team Rubicon's incredible volunteers and regional leaders have been working tirelessly since Saturday, doing everything from rescue ops, to shelter management and debris removal. Their efforts show the incredible potential our nation's veterans have to be stalwarts in our neighborhoods across the nation.

In the coming days Team Rubicon will launch its boldest, most ambitious operation ever. By this time next week we hope to have 1,000 military veterans move into affected communities to lead recovery efforts and establish a battle plan to return to normalcy. Street by street, home by home; It will be Fallujah, but with chainsaws and shovels instead of tanks and rifles.

Never before have we needed your help as much as we do now. The success of this operation will depend on our ability to equip, feed, and house these men and women. The support of TR Nation will be critical, just as it was in the days after the Haiti Earthquake.

With your support, we can do this. We have issued a call to action. Will you answer?

"Team Rubicon are on a mission to empower 250 returning veterans to use their skills as first responders in disaster relief. If you enjoy this video, please support the cause by sharing, or donating at www.omaze.com."

Be sure to check out the raffles that Omaze and TR are putting together.

Team Rubicon and Omaze are partnering to raise money to empower 250 veterans to become first responders for Team Rubicon and to raise awareness about Team Rubicon. 

This raffle, for donations of $5 or more, allows Team Rubicon supporters the chance to engage in once-in-a-lifetime experiences that simply cannot be bought or obtained in any other way. 

The charity raffle kicks off on July 3rd and runs through August 3rd with new offerings every week.  The raffles will offer drinking with celebrities and hanging out on sets of your favorite shows or playing RISK with one of the best strategic minds of our generation and doing some really incredible things...

Be sure to sign up for Team Rubicons email list to be among the first to know about the raffle experiences.

In Indiana alone yesterday: 15 known dead, at least 17 tornadoes,11 counties are disaster areas. Indiana, though, is not alone.  There were 76 known/confirmed tornadoes nationwide, and the devastation is just starting to be cataloged.

Help those who are helping those who need it the most right now:  Team Rubicon.  There will be other needs later, but first response needs all you can give. 

LW

Mission
On Sunday, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the city of Van in Turkey; immediate death tolls are expected to rise above 1,000 as rescue workers continue to dig through the rubble.  Initial reports are that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with casualties, and small rural communities in the surrounding hills lack easy access and communication.  Over the course of the next week, weather is expected to worsen, with temperatures dipping to near freezing and rain or snow expected beginning Wednesday; this will hamper an already difficult rescue effort.

Yesterday, Team Rubicon deployed an initial scout team to Van consisting of two elite Air Force Special Operations Pararescuemen (PJs), Joshua Webster and Nathan Schmidt, and Team Rubicon's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. John Sutter. Both Webster and Schmidt have significant training in Search and Rescue operations, including Confined Space/Structural Collapse.

Donate and Help the Team Get There

The team will hit the ground running in Van, immediately sending back a report to HQ and advising on whether full follow-on teams are necessary.   Once established, the team will be able to assist and advise local authorities in survivor recovery efforts.

If necessary, Team Rubicon is on standby to send larger medical and rescue teams.  Follow the team's progress as it happens on the TR blog.

Other Ways to Help
Pass it on!  Forward this post to your friends at work, members of your church, your extended family.  Share it!  Post this news to Facebook, spread it on Twitter.

Team Rubicon video below talks about the mission (and yes, the First Lady had nice things to say about us), and how TR fits into the whole scheme of disaster response:

TEAM RUBICON 2 min Promo from TEAM RUBICON on Vimeo.

TR made today's edition of USAToday (page 3 in print).  Here's a taste:

When Kasey Sands and her family returned home last month a few days after a tornado flattened much of Joplin, Mo., a dozen strangers were removing trees toppled in their yard.

"I asked them who they were, and they said they were veterans," says Sands, 27. "They said they like to help with peace and not just with war."

They were Team Rubicon, a non-profit group of veterans formed after the 2010 Haiti earthquake to help in the immediate aftermaths of disasters...

Read the whole excellent article here.

You can go here to learn about and support Team Rubicon.

Here's the Executive Summary of Team Rubicon's operation in Pakistan to provide relief in remote areas of Pakistan, the-country-that-is-accepting-our-massive-flood-relief-aid-but-blocking-our-convoys-from-crossing-into-Afghanistan-so-they-will-get-shot-up-by-the-Taliban.  Part of the summary is below:

...On August 28th TR deployed a two-man advance team to conduct a pre-deployment site survey of the southern Punjab region. On arrival the team met with the PMA, secured transportation and lodging, and identified safe routes of travel for the arriving team. Once the main body arrived three days later, TR set out to flood affected areas near the town of Muzzafargarh. Along with a well-trained and motivated group of Pakistani doctors, TR was able to set up daily clinics and treat more than 1,000 people per day...

Read the whole summary here.

Here's the latest update from Team Rubicon's Pakistan Team Leader, William McNulty:

The Team Rubicon Pakistan mission is in many ways a pilot program for American medical professionals who are apprehensive about working in this country. Over the past few days TR has treated over 2,500 patients in various parts of southern Punjab, an area devastated by the floods and resulting water-borne disease. We treated patients for heat stroke, malaria, multi-drug resistant TB, scabies, boils, diarrhea, and severe dehydration. We were able to reach remote villages because we developed a local partner who facilitated our entry, security, and other logistical needs. Dr. Eduardo Dolhun noted that many of his colleagues wanted to travel to Pakistan but were just too scared to commit. Given the barriers to entry, including fear, I think we’ve proved that developing a trusted local partner – in conjunction with local security forces – is a safe way to bring medical relief to the 20 million plus Pakistani people who have lost their homes due to the flooding crisis. God knows they need it.

William McNulty
Team Leader
TR Pakistan

Be sure to check TR's blog with all of the updates (but a warning, as with Haiti, some of the photos are not for the weak hearted).  When you donate to TR, this is what is done with your hard earned money - TR saves lives.

TR members working with/teaching Pakistani children on how to stay healthy during the floods.

Out of scalpels due to the amount of boils TR has seen. Used 14 gauge needle to lance 3 boils on this girls face. “7 year old girl with multiple boils on her head. Very anxious and screaming when she arrived. Premedicated with augmentin and diazepam” says Dr. Dolhun.

With disease, flooding, and of course, extremist elements, TR is doing the best that they can to help the people of Pakistan.  Go here to read more.

Dr. Eduardo Dolhun of Stanford reached out to TR to provide security for this mission. The emphasis on security is highlighted by the recent order by the Taliban to attack foreign aid workers. The team is composed of veterans - former Army SF, former Navy Seals, former Army Infantry, and former Marine.

Dr. Dolhun has a proprietary oral rehydration solution (ORS) called Drip Drop that is used to treat cholera, dehydration, and disease. TR is going to remote areas to, not only deliver the ORS solution, but train people how to make it with locally available resources. Indigenizing the solution is the end goal of this mission, so that those that TR trains are less of a burden on the already stretched thin government and NGOs. Dolhun is Mayo Clinic trained and educated, and he deployed with TR in Haiti. He is an expert at treating cholera so TR's mission matches up well with the conditions on the ground. TR is carrying enough solution to treat up to 8,000 refugees. Dolhun wants to identify a solid partner on the ground so more ORS can be shipped in after TR's departure.

I believe that Hugh Hewitt will have an exclusive with Team Rubicon who will be on his show live from Pakistan.

Donations are needed:

http://teamrubiconusa.org/2010/08/28/your-donations-needed-to-bring-oral-rehydration-therapy-to-pakistan/

Here's a video about Dolhoun's Drip Drop working in Haiti.