“Are you sure you want to work in the rain?” 

That’s what homeowner Carrie Callaghan asked when Jeff Marshburn and Team Rubicon crew showed up May 11 to cut down a tree that was leaning and threatening her “babies.” On this day, Marshburn was a “grey shirt.” He is also a Red Cross volunteer who wears a red shirt on Disaster Action Team calls in East Texas. 

The shelter for Callaghan’s chickens and ducks, which she raises for eggs to share with others, was in the direct path of the big tree, if it continued to lean it would eventually fall on the shelter. The rushing waters of Carolina Creek had washed away the sandy soil it grew in. 

The “Grey shirts,” as Team Rubicon members are called, had met Callaghan at a local store the day before, when they arrived in the area to assist with disaster cleanup. She told them about the tree, and they promised to arrive the next morning with chain saws. 

And they did.  

Jeff Marshburn is no stranger to disasters. The U.S. Army veteran was working as Team Rubicon’s incident commander for the East Texas flooding, and he is also a Red Cross Disaster Team captain in Tyler, Texas.

“Red shirt when I’m with Red Cross and a grey shirt when I’m working with Team Rubicon—whatever color shirt we’re wearing, we’re here to help. And yes, we are happy to work in the rain if it is what needs to be done.” 

Marshburn and his crew came back to Callaghan’s property to help her, her neighbors and family clean up the damage from floodwaters by moving mud, resetting fences, and doing whatever else needed strong, skilled, willing workers to do. An hour into the work, their grey shirts were soaked in sweat and mud, but they were still smiling.

Callaghan lost about 35 feet of her property to the rushing water, and she’s not yet sure how many of her animals.

“It’s just heartbreaking,” she said, leaning on a shovel. Her gloves and boots were covered in the stinking mud. “But look! We just found Grandma’s recipe box and about 30 eggs that had been buried in debris.”  

Her ducks play in a kiddie pool and she has sheltered many of her animals—including baby goats—in her house.

“It can’t get any muddier than it already is,” she said with a little laugh. “And they needed to get out of the rain.” 

A Team Rubicon member helped a neighbor gather the eggs into a bucket found nearby. Surprisingly, most of the eggs were intact. During blue skies, Callaghan takes the eggs to a coworker who needs food, and she said that a flood in the chicken coop isn’t going to change that.  

Team Rubicon was founded to put veteran’s disaster cleanup skills to work in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

“Our origin story is a good one,” said Marshburn, as he held a muddy chainsaw and grinned. He referred to the organization’s website, www.teamrubiconusa.org to anyone wanting to learn more or volunteer.  

An observer can’t help but compare Team Rubicon’s founders William McNulty’s and Jacob “Jake” Wood’s grit, daring and determination to that of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. The two organizations share the spirit of helping those in need after disasters strike and the two organizations rely on volunteers to get the work done.  

Marshburn and the workers on Callaghan’s property are part of about 20-25 Team Rubicon members who are on the job at the East Texas floods, and more are on the way. They work closely with Red Cross volunteers to ensure those affected by the flooding are cared for and prepared for the next wave of rains, forecast for days to come.  

Rubicon member Tricia Cartinez pointed a photographer to a bundle of muddy white tulle, sequins and lace thrown across a tree stump. A crashed motorcycle lay on its side beside it.

“That’s a wedding dress. Without a bride. We don’t know who it belongs to,” she said. “It just arrived in the flood waters.”  

It’s going to be a long recovery for Callaghan and her neighbors. She said: “People have lived here 35, 40 years and have never had water damage like this,” she said. “But we’ll get through it. We’ve got help and we’re determined.”   

Story By: Trudy Thompson Shumaker