Volunteer organization rallies help for those still cleaning up from January storms
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY -- More than a month after atmospheric rivers wreaked havoc across the state and in the Bay Area, the clean-up effort continues.
Calls for help have been answered by volunteers ready and willing. It will take months, and even longer for so many impacted to get their homes back to "living condition".
Hauling away sleds full of mud, Rich Warren is "mucking out" the mess as a volunteer. It's back breaking labor with a lot of heavy lifting that is also lifting spirits and more.
"I was searching for something to reconnect to the world and have been searching for quite a long time," said Warren.
Cleanup all over Santa Cruz County continues after January flooding ravaged towns.
Bound to a wheelchair, 91-year-old Marty Schulman desperately needed help as the Soquel Creek turned into a raging river. It flooded his home and piled up mounds of mud, making it impossible for him to get around his house.
"When I looked, the water was coming over the deck and flooded the room down below where I keep all my food. There was no way for me to get my food," said Schulman.
Neighbors came to the rescue, but an army of Team Rubicon helpers, known as Greyshirts, is now here. The volunteers include the 57-year-old Warren, a former criminal investigator who was digging for purpose after retiring.
A friend's social media post about this team of mostly veterans helped him realize what he was missing.
"Sometimes it's difficult to connect and feel that compassion," said Warren.
Warren jumped into action as Team Rubicon answered Marty's call for help. The organization has been deploying volunteers and responding to natural disasters for more than a decade.
They search for anyone in need, often helping the elderly, some without insurance.
"We go in and help people on their worst day. Give them some hope that people care about you and here to do what we can for you," said Team Rubicon volunteer James Young.
The waters have subsided and the flood is forgotten by many. But for the ones still living in the aftermath, an assist from a stranger can go a long way.
"At my age without the help of you and my neighbors I would be in a world of hurt," said Schulman.
They think we're doing them a favor but in reality they're doing us a favor," said Warren.
It's that attitude, from every person who chipped in, that paves the road to recovery. Team Rubicon is mostly veterans and first responders, but welcomes anyone to join their mission.
County officials have estimated damage at upwards of $30 million, but that doesn't even include private property losses.
