Veteran-led volunteers support Hurricane Lala response on Hawaii Island

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Veteran-led nonprofit Team Rubicon is helping Hawaiʻi communities recover from the impacts of Hurricane Lala.

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Volunteers, known as “Greyshirts,” launched their second response on Hawaiʻi Island this year, helping the rural Hawaiian Ocean View community cut down and remove storm debris. They plan to extend operations to Nāʻālehu, Pāhala and Captain Cook if resources allow.

Team Rubicon incident commander Jon Shear said they learned a lot from response to March’s Kona low storms.

“A number of things that came up where we understood that there was communities that really needed the help,” he said. “We prioritize where we can provide support, and based on the resources, we get there as quick as we can.”

The nonprofit is coordinating Hawaiʻi Island efforts with the American Red Cross, Vibrant Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense, and the local community.

Teams were also briefed on how to respect iwi kūpuna, or ancient remains, if they come across them.

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“Just to be really on the watch and understand that a lot of the time, even the closer we get to the water the more prevalent that may be,” Marshburn said, “and to understand that it’s there and if we encounter it, to back off and to make sure we contact the right people.”

Founded after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the organization has over 200,000 volunteers across the United States, including 1,200 volunteers across Hawaiʻi.

Over the years, they’ve conducted 35 disaster response and mitigation operations across the islands, including volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and wildfires.

Donations to Team Rubicon’s response operations for Hurricane Lala can be made on their website.

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