Medic Chris Ryan holds an three hour-old infant as a Philippines Air Force helicopter prepares to airlift critical care patients from Tanauan to Manila. Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Leyte provincial barangay, destroying infrastructure and medical resources. Team Rubicon and a medical team from Mammoth, CA triaged, treated, and evacuated Tanauan patients in the first days after the storm passed.

Five days after Hurricane Dorian rolled through the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, the population center of Marsh Harbour was a ghost town as the result of mass evacuations. One man, believed to be a Haitian immigrant, wondered around slowly, looking at debris on the border of what was left of The Mudd - a low-lying neighborhood which was completely destroyed during the storm.

Retired Army medic Kate Norley Oliver takes in the destruction and sea of refugees at Tacloban Airport minutes after deboarding the C-130 from Manila. Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Leyte provincial barangay, killing thousands and destroying infrastructure, including the regional airport . A team of fifteen Team Rubicon volunteers arrived within 72 hours of the disaster to provide medical aid and logistical support.

Team members watch and wait as Philippines Air Force pilots prep their morning ride.

The tornado response to the 2013 Moore, OK tornado would be the largest Team Rubicon response until 2017’s Hurricane Harvey. The work was tough, massive in scale, and incredibly rewarding to the volunteers. Retired Navy corpsman Chad Reynolds was one of the operation’s leaders and became a close friend to many on the op. Here he helps inspect and wash debris from a volunteer’s eye.

Team Rubicon volunteers navigate rapid waters dumped by Hurricane Harvey to search for homeowners needing evacuation.

Gas was gold. It powered generators and moved vehicles which allowed people to pick up food and assist their neighbors and family. In the immediate days after Hurricane Dorian fuel was scarce. The only known location to procure fuel contained two fuel trucks guarded by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in a gated parking lot behind a grocery store.

Retired Army medic Kate Norley Oliver keeps watch over a local Filipino girl who suffered a severe laceration from a flying piece of tin. Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Leyte provincial barangay, leaving hundreds missing and scores injured. Team Rubicon and a medical team from Mammoth, CA triaged, treated, and evacuated Tanauan patients in the first days after the storm passed.

After another hot day digging through and removing tornado debris, Elliott stopped in the street for a good, sweaty, end-of-day portrait. Within seconds other Team Rubicon volunteers descended from the wings, climbing upon Elliott to form one massive, sweaty hug - a testament to the joy that service and camaraderie can bring amid such large scale destruction.

After being dropped off by a V-22 Osprey over 300 Tolosa villagers descended upon a team of four after arriving with emergency food provisions.

Marine Corps veteran Lydia Davey consoles a homeowner who has come by the operating base seeking assistance. On April 18, 2013 a neighborhood in Marseilles, IL was rapidly inundated with over 6’ of water after a barge broke free and blocked the levee locks. Over 100 homes were severely flooded in a matter of minutes.

Destruction from Typhoon Haiyan is nonstop on the main road leading into Tacloban. Families continue with what they have.

A volunteer wades into Hurricane Harvey flood waters to check in on a home owner after her family requested assistance.

With the roof and wall sheered away from his home only three days before, a Tolosa boy still manages to find time to practice his violin.

A volunteer salvages bricks with sentimental value at the homeowner’s request after a bush fire destroyed her neighborhood.

Before a day of ground recon, volunteers rapidly unload emergency provisions from a USMC V-22 Osprey.

USMC veteran JJ Selvig takes a running jump at the remains of a backyard shed with the hope of giving it the necessary last nudge to topple it. Team Rubicon veteran volunteers descended upon Moore, OK after the 2013 tornado. The response was a defining moment in the organization’s history - six weeks of constant debris management and clearing. The disaster response model was working, and a measurable impact was being felt by the community.

Pausing from grueling work in 105 degree heat, US Navy veteran Gerod Aleshire takes shelter in the remains of a residence he was helping to clear out. In July of 2014 the town of Pateros, WA was awoken by a raging, wind-fueled fire storm moving briskly through their small valley and destroying over 350 homes in the area. Team Rubicon veteran volunteers took over command of the response and handled debris management and support systems for the weeks to follow.

The main port at Marsh Harbour was eerily calm in its activity level. Supplies from various relief agencies started to pile up due to a lack of vehicles to move the supplies fast enough.

A local passer-by greets a Team Rubicon Australia volunteer after a long day hauling burnt debris.