Disaster response charity Team Rubicon UK deploy team to Mozambique
CHILMARK, UK. Yesterday (Thursday 21 March), ex-military disaster response charity, Team Rubicon UK, deploy to Mozambique to help those affected by cyclone Idai.
A team of ex-military volunteers, trained and experienced in disaster response, will today travel to Mozambique in the wake of cyclone Idai. Millions have been affected, with alarming reports of only two or three days of clean water left in the devastated city of Beira.
Team Rubicon UK’s advance team anticipate they will be working to get aid and water into the most remote, cut-off communities. Although supplies have begun to arrive, many communities remain inaccessible.
Team Rubicon’s predominantly military veteran volunteers bring a unique set of skills and experiences to disaster response and have a proven record of delivering immediate life-saving aid where others are unable. In Mozambique, our focus will be on delivering where the need is most acute, with expertise in water purification, needs assessment, drones for damage assessment support and last-mile logistics.
Team Rubicon UK CEO Richard Sharp comments:
The African continent is no stranger to struggle but the situation in Mozambique and Zimbabwe is dire and potentially the worst weather event to ever hit the region.
Our tenacious volunteer response teams are chiefly made up of military veterans who have been tested again and again in the most austere conditions imaginable. We exist to serve others and I am immensely proud of our volunteers who have left their day jobs to help with the relief effort.
As ever, during these critical early days, we are reliant on donations from the public and our partners to help the communities devastated by this disaster.
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For further information, please contact Kirsty Dolan on 07738 556400 dolan@teamrubiconuk.org
Notice to Editors
Team Rubicon CEO Richard Sharp is available for interviews.
Team Rubicon Operations Manager, Paul Taylor is available for interviews from 22 March 2019 in Mozambique
Notice to Picture Editors:
Please credit all images to Team Rubicon UK, Registered Charity in England and Wales (1163214)
Image 1: Idai Prep. 21.03.19. Volunteer Taryn preps her kit and packs her bags ready to deploy to Mozambique following cyclone Idai.
Image 2: BVI Arrival –BVI, Operation Irma. September 2017. Team Rubicon volunteers arrive in the BVI to provide aid following hurricane Irma.
Image 3: Drones Palu. October 2018, Palu, Indonesia. Team Rubicon volunteer uses a drone to provide disaster mapping of areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami for the Indonesian Board of Disaster Management.
About Team Rubicon
We can’t stop hurricanes, floods or earthquakes. But we can make sure we’re trained and ready for them.
Team Rubicon’s predominantly ex-military volunteers have years of experience in hostile character-testing environments. Today, they deliver life-saving aid, at home or abroad. Every one of our Greyshirt volunteers brings determination and hard-won skills to our humanitarian mission. We’re a team with a bias for action, creating order in the wake of destruction.
Because we can make a difference, we believe we must. Supporting Team Rubicon guarantees that those facing their darkest hour receive the help they need to begin rebuilding their lives.
For further information and to donate to our Mozambique appeal, please visit our website: www.teamrubiconuk.org/ donate
About Cyclone Idai
Tropical Cyclone Idai made landfall on Mozambique's eastern coastline on the 14th March 2019 as a category 3* with wind speeds reaching 200 km/h. There has been a significant humanitarian impact with extensive structural damage reported in major cities and loss of life currently reported at 300 people with fears this figure is likely to rise.
Widespread flooding continues to be the major immediate issue and is
forecast to worsen over the next 72 hours. The current response efforts remain focused on needs assessments and search and Rescue.