skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, February 17, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

N.Y.C. Council speaker calls on Mayor Eric Adams to resign; KY could do more to protect kids from accidental drug ingestion, shootings; OH food banks face fed funding uncertainty, DeWine budget cuts; Protesters say Trump administration actions 'cast aside democracy.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

On a Middle East visit, Sen. Richard Blumenthal rejects a Gaza takeover. President's Day protests erupt around the country against White House moves, and another aviation accident draws attention to recent FAA cuts.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Veterans bring Hurricane Helene relief to GA’s overlooked communities

play audio
Play

Monday, January 6, 2025   

Months after Hurricane Helene tore through Georgia, rural communities are still grappling with its devastating impact.

With limited access to recovery resources, many families face lingering storm damage, including downed trees and unsafe homes.

Art Delacruz is CEO of Team Rubicon. He explained how the veteran-led nonprofit is stepping up to provide critical relief and support to those in areas where help is hardest to find.

"A lot of the services we deliver stabilize the environment," said Delacruz. "So the rest of the recovery can happen."

He said Team Rubicon's Greyshirt volunteers are clearing debris, repairing roofs, and providing other essential recovery services in communities with scarce local infrastructure and resources.

About 50% of the group is military veterans, along with first responders and civilians from diverse backgrounds.

Dean Wagner is the Georgia incident commander for Team Rubicon. He said the organization is operating out of Coffee County, one of the rural areas most affected by Hurricane Helene.

He explained that a big barrier to recovery is the financial strain on homeowners, many of whom cannot afford professional services to clear debris and repair damage - costs that can easily climb into five figures.

With so many families still needing help, Wagner underscored the ongoing demand for resources and volunteers.

"Even now that we're, you know, 80 days beyond the storm, these people are still living with it every day," said Wagner. "Every time they wake up and look out their window, they see just this massive amount of trees piled up and kind of feel hopeless."

Team Rubicon recently received a $2 million grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation to support its disaster relief efforts.

While it's also served communities in Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, the group says it still needs more volunteers and support.

For more information, visit TRUSA.ORG.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Data from Penn Medicine finds as of January 2024, more than 30,000 people in the U.S. have received CAR T-cell therapy since it was approved for use in 2017. (Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Some New York doctors are working on new ways to treat advanced cancers. Chimeric Antigen Receptor, or CAR, T-cell therapy treats certain blood …


Health and Wellness

play sound

The incidence of drug overdose is decreasing in Indiana and one reason could be the efforts of an organization offering free training to anyone willin…

Social Issues

play sound

By Kim Kobersmith for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Brett Peveto for South Carolina News Service for the Daily Yonder-Public News Service Coll…


More than 48% of Wyoming is public land, owned and managed by the federal government on behalf of U.S. residents. Several state bills this session were written to try to decrease the percentage. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Wyoming is one of several Western states where some lawmakers arguing states should have more control of the federally managed public lands within the…

Environment

play sound

By S.E. Smith for Yes! Magazine.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Yes! Magazine-Public News Service …

A home burns in a Los Angeles neighborhood during recent wind-driven wildfires spreading throughout several Southern California communities. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Amy McDermott for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.Broadcast version by Mark Richardson for for California News Service reporting…

Social Issues

play sound

February is Library Lovers Month - and libraries across the Commonwealth are encouraging their long-time and new patrons to celebrate. Lisa Varga…

Social Issues

play sound

According to the Immigration Policy Tracking Project, the Trump administration has taken 130 actions on immigration so far this term. Groups in …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021