E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Courtesy Mike Lee
Team Rubicon's "DC Response Team" clears a tree in the Capitol Hill nieghborhood. Left to right: Lourdes Tiglao, Neil Landsberg, Kiara Baginski, Dan Pick.
Up to his armpits in flood water, flanked by darkened buildings and submerged vehicles, Iraq veteran Peter Meijer felt oddly at home Monday night as he trudged through the streets of Brooklyn at the height of Sandy's fury: "The right place at the right time with the right mission."
With a fellow veteran at his side, Meijer had driven a van from a Brooklyn high school-turned-evacuation shelter to the Gerritsen Beach neighborhood, stopping only when the van's tires met the storm surge. From there, the pair went on foot. With 911 phone lines down, the Army reservist was trying to reach and rescue a man who had climbed into his attic with his dog to escape the rising tide. Back at the shelter, the man's wife — who had been on the phone with him — pleaded Meijer to try to save him.
A team of volunteers who were also hit hard by the storm, put their needs aside to help neighbors with first aid and food. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
"She said the water was up to his knees, then it was up to his waist. Nobody could reach the police. We were 15 minutes away. I peer-pressured my partner, Marvin Avilez, into going out there," said Meijer, 24, who served in Iraq during 2010 and 2011. "When the road ended, we hopped out. On the way, we found a dude wading in the water, pulling a row boat. He was a former Marine recon guy, going house to house to rescue folks.
"It was during the brunt of the storm. There were eerie moments when the wind was blowing 70 miles per hour, then where it went down to nothing, then back to 70. Water up to my chest. Cars under water. It was like 'End of Days' stuff out there."
Meijer is one of 50 veterans dispatched this week into storm-battered areas from Team Rubicon — a nonprofit, 4,000-member, all-volunteer army composed almost entirely of former military members who served after 9/11, many of them in combat. They typically join forces with federal and local authorities to help during natural catastrophes such as the April 2011 outbreak of tornadoes in Tuscaloosa, Ala., that killed more than 340 people.
The multiple ways in which the military is helping New Jersey and New York recover from Hurricane Sandy. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Loosely formed in 2010 to aid earthquake victims in Haiti, Team Rubicon quickly melded into a tightly run disaster-relief machine with a military style and sharp focus, said Matt Pelak, the organization's director of strategic partnerships. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the U.S. Army.
"In Haiti, they realized they were onto something," said Pelak, now a full-time firefighter and paramedic in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. "They were realizing: We’re home from war and we have these skills and we’re good in that environment.
David Friedman / NBC News
Superstorm Sandy made landfall Monday evening on a destructive and deadly path across the Northeast.
"In Tuscaloosa, a ton more veterans showed up than we expected. At end of day, we got around the campfire and talked about our deployment experiences. We realized we're not just helping other Americans, we're also helping each other, giving each other self confidence, giving direction."
In the wake of the superstorm, people are banding together across New York City and New Jersey, offering power, food and even Halloween fun to their neighbors who have been devastated by wind and floods. NBC's Jenna Bush Hager reports.
Team Rubicon has engaged in roughly 50 more missions since the tornadoes. The group says it has "a good relationship" with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and with local authorities, emphasizing that it "doesn't freelance."
"We have our little niche and that's what we stick to," Pelak said. "We utilize military-style plans and military-style leaderships to be more effective with less overhead and less bureaucracy, to be fast. Our teams are good at improvising and adapting. That’s what veterans do best."
Team Rubicon had a pre-existing relationship with the New York City Office of Emergency Management, which asked the veterans to help staff the city's command center and to problem-solve issues at some rescue shelters: lack of food, no power, people not getting along, Pelak said. Team Rubicon members arrived from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and Connecticut to help storm victims access their homes, help towns do damage assessment, and help clear debris from roadways and yards — in New York, Washington, D.C., and other eastern towns.
NBC's Katy Tur reports from Hoboken, N.J., where water is covering much of the city.
Meijer, who lives in Manhattan, joined his Team Rubicon colleagues on Saturday in New York. By Wednesday, he estimates that he'd since had about eight total hours of sleep.
While helping smooth out operations at a Brooklyn shelter, Meijer met the frantic woman who told him about her trapped husband — a man in his 60s who has hip trouble.
"The whole reason you get involved in an organization like this is to not sit on the sidelines," Meijer said.
Drenched and peering through the darkness, they eventually found the couple's house in Brooklyn.
Once inside, they saw that the flowing water already had topped the kitchen chairs. The man was indeed tucked into a crawlspace but debris from the storm surge was blocking the attic door. The veterans yanked the door open and freed the man and his dog. They eventually put him into the Marine's row boat and pulled him back to drier streets where he stepped into the van.
"We were able to bring him to the hurricane shelter to be with his wife and puppy," Meijer said. "It was cute."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- 'Pure mayhem' as New York City tries to get back to work
- Wind, flames, Our Fathers: The inside story of Breezy Point's terrible night
- NYC-area airports up and running, albeit slowly
- New York trick-or-treaters defy Sandy to celebrate Halloween
- As National Guard comes to rescue, so do NJ residents — with power outlets
- How to avoid post-storm insurance and repair scams
- For some New Yorkers, it's back to business as usual
- New Jersey investigating reports of price gouging
- Your Sandy photos: Show us the heroes in your life
- Sandy's aftermath: How you can help
Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
Leave a Comment:
Military Veterans all over are usually the vanguard when disasters hit the community. After numerous typhoons on Guam in the mid to late 1980s, we helped clear debris, fallen palm trees etc from local areas in Tamuning and other towns in the Andersen AFB area.
Welcome home Veterans and "hand salute" for performing these civic duties, in the wake of Sandy!
This is how we should respond to disasters. People getting stuck in doing what they know how with little expense and no crippling oversight, not waiting for govt to orchestrate a grand rescue and using $100B to provide $100M of aid.
Great job, nice to see ppl helping each other!
Let's learn from this and not rebuild on barrier islands, which geologically speaking are dynamic/temporary structures that should not be permanently settled.
I commend our veterans for their service, I am a veteran myself, I just wonder why the veterans can go to the front Lines again, yet our government cannot, or will not take care of our veterans. Sad isn't it?
This is what we need. Our troops home working for FEMA. Especially since were are going to be needing FEMA so much more in the next few years (and don't let me hear anyone say "it won't happen here" Because it IS happening here. Bring the Military Home and put them in FEMA. Rebuild America. We need them Here.
Julea, I thought the same thing as I read this, but I couldn't have said it better. It helps them and it helps US.
JULEA - am with you….how can we not appreciate our amazing military veterans working in tandem with FEMA – BUT, as reported in the New York Times today, Nov 1, 2012, article of Romney’s at a Republican primary debate in June of 2011, CNN’s John King asked Mitt Romney for his views on disaster relief “FEMA is about to run out of money, and there are some people who say, ‘Do it on a case-by-case basis.’ And there are some people who say, ‘You know what, maybe we’re learning a lesson here that the states should take on more of this role.’ How do you deal with something like that?”
Mr. Romney responded ““Absolutely. Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further and He went on to advocate cutting the federal budget, leading Mr. King to interject “Including disaster relief, though?” “We cannot—we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply immoral, inmy view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids.” I don’t see how you can read that and not conclude that Primary Mitt endorsed decreasing the federal government’s role in disaster relief with a possible end goal of having private industry take over.
Naturally Hurricane Sandy Mitt feels somewhat differently. His campaign released a statement Wednesday, October 31st, that reads: ”I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with states and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters. As president, I will ensure FEMA has the funding it needs to fulfill its mission, while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and
communities affected by natural disasters.”
No mention of the private sector; or of how it’s “immoral” to amass debt and thus absolutely necessary to
cut the federal budget. Just a bland assurance that FEMA will have “the funding it needs to fulfill its mission.” The reference to “states and localities” may sound like tough federalism, but FEMA already works with local first responders. He did not address whether he would cut other programs to pay for disaster relief (something his running mate, Paul Ryan, has endorsed.)
Naturally Mr. Romney didn’t acknowledge that he’d changed his position; he just changed it. As usual
there’s no telling which position represents Mr. Romney’s authentic beliefs, or if he has authentic beliefs—or, most crucially, which position a President Romney would hold.
HELLLOOO. Be careful what the heck you wish for….you may get it all. Better question….does ANYONE KNOW what Romney’s platform IS??? Does Romney know what his platform is? You want an answer on that? Ask some of the folks on Breezy Point what Romney’s platform is. Bet those good people will give you an idea.
God Bless our military and our Vets - absolutely invaluable - my older brother - 40 years Army, my son 6 six years Navy, my nephew - Army - getting ready to deploy.
Our veterans always come through. It is because they believe in America, and Americans helping Americas. THAT is what they fought on foreign soil for.
People change their thoughts on matters all the time, and politicians aren't any different. But I assure you, the Vets didn't fight, and some pay the ultimate price, to have a WH that is racially motivated in dividing the very country they fought for. I am sure that Abe Lincoln, or Martin Luther King, wouldn't have a radically motivated "preacher" giving any speech in same manner we were subjected to in 2009 during Mr. Obama's inauguration.
"Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around — (laughter) — when yellow will be mellow — (laughter) — when the red man can get ahead, man — (laughter) — and when white will embrace what is right". Joseph Lowery.
"I don't know what kind of a n—er wouldn't vote with a black man running," Lowery said. "All that he did with the stimulus was genius. Nobody intelligent would risk this country with Romney."
"If Obama was white, there would be no question on who was going to win," Lowery said at a similar get out the vote event".
UPDATE (10 p.m. ET): Rev. Joseph Lowery told The Daily Caller that he was only joking when he said all white people are going to hell.
"It was a joke…When I said it, I said it was a joke, I identified it as a joke," he said.
It wasn't a joke and we already know what you really think. Mr. Lowery. And people wonder why racism is still alive?
I don't know about you, but I have NEVER heard any preacher ever preach such hatred. Especially in front the world during any inauguration. That is not what we heard from Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King.
This is the kind of association Mr. Obama chooses for himself and his family, But it should not be for Americans who love this country. His "Change" should not be our "Change".
I am not a racist….I don't like Biden either….
You guys and gals are the best.. Thank you for all you do..
Bravo/Brava to Team Rubicon - thank you for your continued service to us all.
Your brave and selfless service is what makes you the best that this country has, and I appreciate your sacrifice every day!
Not surprising that people with this kind of character would jump right in to help.
I know Team Rubicon personally, not just from news articles. They are all of that and more, believe me. A more caring bunch couldn't be found anywhere.
However, everyone should be aware that they are a totally donation driven organization. Not high overhead at all, but they do need donations to help pay for gas to get places, chainsaws and replacement chains, food for the volunteers, etc. So those who can, please donate what you can. Even a $10 donation helps. Check out their website. They have done a lot and are completely open on what is going on, even while it's going on. It's teamrubiconusa.org. No 'www' needed.
Once a hero, always a hero!
THANK YOU
God Bless the american Vets.
Staff FEMA with Vets and divert some Military Funds. We are where America needs protection! Not some desert or mountain valleys. We need our People home. We desparately need their help for LIFE, not death of some fantasy enemy.
Way to go Team Rubicon! - Semper Fi!
I LOVE you guys!!!
As a Retired Marine Combat Corpsman I want to say Thanks Guys for serving again.
I have said for years that FEMA needs to be turned over to the Military. We have the Logistics, lift capabilities, manpower and everything that is needed to run these operations. You can Move a carrier into almost any U.S. Port and power many cities off her reactor. With Military Downsizing make a branch of the Military FEMA and spend the $$$$ there instead of on civilians. Let guys who retire from the Military transition over or for those who no longer want to be active duty mover over there. We could have portable hospitals up in hours and our medical crews already know how to use them and how they work. With Ships the Military no longer wants use them and have them at the ready loaded with supplies i.e. food, generators, tents etc and ready to move on a moments notice. Yes they can not do much from ships when something happens in the nations midsection but a lot of the stuff we have is along the coast. For inland operations pre position supplies etc in warehouse's at military base's and use planes and helicoptors the military no longer wants for lift capabilities and have them maintained and ready to go. Minus Tornado's these folks can be ready to lift off as soon as the storm pass's and be on the ground within hour's They could actually be enroute before the storm ends. We have engineers, Seabees etc that can put down runways, helo landing pads etc in a day or less. When Tornados, Quakes etc hit they can be in faster then anything FEMA can do as it sits now. There are major military base's all over the USA and they can be anyplace within several hours after the Alert hits.
Keep up the good work guys and thanks again
Doc--so many GREAT ideas--you are so right. And thank you for serving your country!
Roger that! I remember during Katrina while the bureaucrats were stumbling around like chickens with their heads cut off til the Military got down there and the General in charge started applying some boot leather to some backsides and started getting stuff done. Get the political hacks out of the way and let those that know shat they are doing get it done.
Bravo Zulu to Team Rubicon, sounds like fun. Well fun is probably not appropriate, but you know what I am trying to say. Agree Doc. Probably be more rewarding then most reserve duty. I remember getting my people ready and waiting 2 months for the orders that never came to go to Norleans. 8425/8404
I agree. FEMA should be a branch of the armed forces, SEPARATE fron the Guard and Reserve but able to call those up WITHOUT waiting for the governors to contact the president. A middle man so to speak. It should be allowed to have ONLY active duty personel in their last 2 years of enlistment. They should allow a choice in your last 2 years: Guard, Reserve, IRR or FEMA, with FEMA getting the first choice of volunteers.
Many people don't realize that the peacetime military is very inefficient and wasteful, and the war-time military (although still wasteful) is VERY efficient. The job will get done, and done quickly. Put good people into this new FEMA, give them emergency powers that don't require 100 civilian sign-offs and watch how fast things happen. Even during a storm.
There were many active duty, guard and reserve working in New Orleans, before, during and after the storm, often in violations of their orders. FEMA never would have gotten in if it wasn't for what some military people did before hand. When people attacked Bush for inaction for political reasons, many never understood they were attacking (and insulting) many, many military who were acting against orders to help and restore some sort of order before the government got there. I'll say it again, Bush could have signed an order that very day, and no one could have gotten in WITHOUT the help of individual and small groups of military who opened up certain roads and helicopter LZ's, along with resuing people during teh storm.
This storm was a CAT1. Actually pretty minor in power for a hurricane. If it was a CAT4/5 a few divisions of the military would have to be called up to deal with that area and the millions who live there.
Great idea. Everybody should push this to any Congressman or Senator that will give them an ear.
Nice thoughts but Posse Comitatus prevents the military from operating as the military on US soil. While it may seem to get in the way I personally think it is one of the things that keeps America....well, being America. We have a clear divide between the military and civilian operations and we are not always worried about military coups. (Retired 24+ year veteran myself by the way).
We do however have the national guard which belongs to the States and the governors. They can and do use the national guard in emergencies as can be seen with Sandy. They also can exercise law enforcement powers where the US military cannot.
Sadly you cannot just move the military into the national guard because they are state funded until they are brought to active duty as they have been numerous times in the past....heavily since 9/11. Once federalized then they can't be used on US soil. The states are just not going to pay for more national guard in the current environment.
Besides all that...... most FEMA personnel you see responding to natural disasters are not full time civil service employees but are what are called Stafford employees. They are low paid workers that are only get paid during the disasters that they actually respond to. Think of them as volunteers that get some pay for being away from home. They are the ones that do the heavy lifting at times like this.
Oh....and the FEMA response structure looks very, very, very much like a military organizational chart which is probably why Team Rubicon fits so well with it.
Thanks for your service DocC... I'm a former FMF Corpsman also. I have had the same exact thoughts you spoke of for a long time. It would take nothing to have several BAS's up and running in disaster areas for immediate emergent medical services. Very proud of all our vets who don't hesitate to jump in and get the job done when needed.
May god bless you and keep you safe...and thnak you so much for being who you are and what you do....no greater honor is there than one who lays down his own life or time for another
I think all Military veterans should be able to form groups like this in order to help any storm ravaged state or in high emergencies like this. What better way to make sure that military veterans get their feet wet again with what they know best and feel empowered in what they are doing.
i was thinking the same thing. Bravo to these hero's!
Thanks to all our Veterans and to those Vets that went the extra mile during the storm, as did anyone who lent an extra hand did. Thanks again to all!!!
Its about time to hear that officials are treating the Military with some respect. A vet myself it is sometimes very dicouraging to be treated as a second hand citizen. Especially when most military folks are much better trained and adapted for emergancy type activities. For a veteran to be sidelined and the government employees to tell us we don't belong in a disater area or whatever circumstance is truly revolting and disrepectful to me.
Way to go!
To the people out there that look down upon us as a whole - read this story and see people dredging through water - a Marine by himself looking out for folks...take a second look and think twice before you push us aside.
Really72:
I can't imagine what it must feel like for a Veteran when they hear a rude comment or are treated with disrespect. Just remember that for every rude person, there are dozens, hundreds, even thousands just like me that are grateful every day that there are men and women who serve their country. As a mother I am continually thankful that there are those who chose to serve--and are still doing so. Thank you for your service. I will never take a Veteran for granted. Ever.
mithots,
THank you for the repsonse - I really needed to read something like that this morning!!!
This is what its all about....people helping each other and doing it, not just talking about it or waiting for the government to save them...
I don't care what anyone says .theses vets are what Americans should be striving to be .To many blowhards with to few answers to problems ,let guys and gals like these fine people run FEMA and groups like that .I can almost guarantee it will run better. Thank you all again for the service and help you all have shown. I am an ex military and i salute you all .Well done to you all ...
Uban: I agree with you 100% - trouble is, who on that hill with the "rareified air" will listen?
to everyone - VOTE - you know the reasons why, you know how, you should know where - encourage all your friends, neighbors, co-workers, to participate in the privilage of choice. Too many across our planet do not have that opportunity. Stand up, speak out - VOTE
who is suprised? This is what we do, we are the most generous nation on the planet. When disaster strikes, we roll up our sleeves - Have you ever seen russian or chinese citizens rushing in to assist when disaster strikes abroad? Haiti for instance - I don't remember any russians or chinese there to assist - but we were there in large numbers.
I echo Julea Bacall:
We need all our troops home NOW to rebuild our battered, bruised, broke, burned, now flooded nation.
To all the hawks out there who continue to preach "a strong America is a good America" Please, please, stand down. We need all hands on deck for our battered bruised nation. Give your nation a chance to regroup, revitalize, then we can come back stonger then ever. But we need a space to breath, re-evaluate, re-group. Please.
organized, mission oriented and used to working as a group with chain of command. That's why they are successful, get the bureaucrats out of the way and let these guys take care of business. Good on ya troops.
This is what America is about!!! Not privatizing the sh1t like romney wants to do. Get the hell out of the way and let the men and women of our armed forces do the job. Way to go vets!!!!
umm, they are privatized. They work independently and based on donations. How much more privatized can it get?? This is more of an argument against GOVERNMENT handling it.
Thank you to all service members. Now, with that said, these vets are GREAT. Why can't the govt run like that. Maybe the vets should run the country. Not the super rich.
Thank you, Veterans. All of you.
still think global warming is a liberal hoax?
yes I do. But assumming that I am wrong and more frequent storms will arrive, perhaps NY and NJ should consider building codes that can withstand something more than a CAT1 hurricane. On the scale of storms this wasn't really that bad, just bad for that area. Hopefully, they learn from it and build in better places, make some breakwaters, and build stronger. A CAT5 storm would have been the apocalypse for them it seems.
i wonder if thier is help from other countries we have helped in the past when they have natural disasters such as this. my guess is probably not. i say lets take care of our own from now on. too much of our money goes overseas to a bunch of ungrateful greedy countries. if we had the money we give too other countries. we could have built food storage facilities,fuel storage tanks, delivery systems, airports,aircraft and numerous other facilities in all parts of this country just so we could be prepared for these type of of disasters. but nooooo.
The only reference I can find is The World Jewish Congress and 10 volunteers from Canada.