CASE Construction Equipment and Texas-based dealer Nueces Power Equipment provided equipment and support for a two-week Team Rubicon operation that continued each organization’s support of Hurricane Harvey response and recovery — still ongoing more than three years after the hurricane hit the region.
The operation was conducted by Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, in coordination with the Victoria County Long Term Recovery Group and resulted in the demolition and site clearing of ten properties as part of a program that built new houses — at no cost — for residents whose homes were deemed uninhabitable after the hurricane hit in August 2017.
“People outside of Texas may not realize the level of response and recovery still happening in the state more than three years after the hurricane hit,” says Leandro Lecheta, head of construction — North America, CASE Construction Equipment. “Team Rubicon has had a constant presence in the state with ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts since the day the hurricane hit. Site demolition and clearing is heavy work — CASE and Nueces Power Equipment provided equipment for our very first Hurricane Harvey operation with Team Rubicon here in September of 2017, and we’re still supporting the effort and their community today.”
While much of the work has shifted towards the rebuilding phase, programs like this developed by the Victoria County Long Term Recovery Group reflect innovative thinking in how communities support residents in the wake of a natural disaster. The organization received trade-in properties that are uninhabitable from the homeowner, and then builds them a new home at no cost in the Hope Meadows subdivision in Bloomington, Texas.
“Throughout this project, we have seen homeowners, families and children regain their hope and faith — anchored in the foundation and fellowship of a new home and a new community,” says Rick Villa, executive director, Victoria County Long Term Recovery Group. “Collaboration has been the key to the success that we have had as an organization and as a community, and it’s because organizations like Team Rubicon, CASE and Nueces Power Equipment come together and commit to doing the right thing for communities like Victoria in the wake of a disaster.”
For more information on the Victoria Long Term Recovery Group, visit victorialtrg.org. For more information on the partnership between CASE and Team Rubicon to support communities in response to natural disasters, visit CaseCE.com/TeamRubicon.