Volunteers help Quincy residents tackle flood cleanup
Albanese has lived out of a city-funded apartment since a nor'easter clobbered Houghs Neck and much of the
Between moving into the temporary space and dealing with insurance companies, Albanese said the process has felt overwhelming.
But Albanese and her neighbors started tackling the cleanup process this weekend with help from the disaster-relief nonprofit Team Rubicon. Volunteers ripped out water-soaked drywall and flooring, hauled away damaged belongings and debris and cut up fallen trees. Crews started working Friday, and expected to wrap up their operation by Monday afternoon.
The volunteers, many of them military veterans and first responders, worked free-of-charge for more than a dozen homeowners in
Albanese and her daughter,
"It's so amazing. It really means a lot," said Vogel, of
On top of helping displaced families get back into their homes, Team Rubicon also helps veterans find a renewed sense of purpose --which is vital as they leave the military and return to civilian life.
Team Rubicon Incident Coordinator
Homeowners needing assistance got referred to Team Rubicon from the Massachusetts Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters, which collected requests for help during the Resource Recovery Center in
"A homeowner sees volunteers in gray shirts working and they come up and say, 'can you take a look at my house when you're done?,'" Kunze, of
Kunze said volunteers pull out all damaged materials so that a contractor can come in and start working immediately, saving homeowners both time and money on demolition. He said removing the wet drywall, insulation and flooring also allows houses to dry out before mold spreads and creates more problems.
"This expedites home repairs and gets people back in their homes sooner," he said.
Team Rubicon also uses the same incident management system as the
Kunze said the city of
Volunteer
"Their lives have been turned upside down. To see all your belonging in the street is a horrible thing," he said.
Albanese's neighbor,
"They've been fabulous -- ultra polite and ultra considerate. It's wonderful," Gracey said. "This has been such a big help to us."
To learn more about Team Rubicon, visit https://teamrubiconusa.org.
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