Roselle man part of Hurricane Matthew relief effort

In response to Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina, veteran-led disaster response organization Team Rubicon deployed Jim Flory of Roselle as part of its relief effort. Along with a team of veterans and civilians, Flory, a veteran of the U.S. Navy and retired lieutenant of the Mount Prospect fire department, helped provide flooding cleanup and chain-saw operations.

Hurricane Matthew made landfall in the U.S. on Oct. 8. North Carolina was the hardest hit and experienced record flooding. Team Rubicon launched Operation Seymour Action on Oct. 26, deploying 130 volunteers, who logged 6,564 hours, helping 65 homeowners.

Flory is part of a network of 41,000 volunteer members who are trained to respond following disasters. He currently serves on the Incident Management Team and volunteers as the Region V Planning Manager.

"Whether it's military service, fire service, or volunteerism - we all want to be part of something that is bigger than the sum of us," Flory said. "Team Rubicon provided me the opportunity to use the skills I learned in the military and the fire service to help those in need. Being able to continue my service is something that so many veterans and first responders still look for."

Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Since its inception in 2010, Team Rubicon has responded to many major natural disasters. For more information, go to www.teamrubiconusa.org.