After Record Hurricanes, Delivering on Relief

By Julie H. Case, Editor, Team Rubicon

The 2024 hurricane season is (hopefully) in the books, and once again it showcased above-average activity. From the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record—Hurricane Beryl—to back-to-back major Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the season set records. And, punished the American southeast.

After making landfall as a major Category-4 Hurricane on September 26, Helene swept into the southern Appalachians causing catastrophic flooding there, and widespread wind damage from the Gulf Coast to the North Carolina mountains. The National Hurricane Center’s preliminary data indicates Helene was the deadliest hurricane to affect the continental U.S. since Katrina in 2005.

Then came Hurricane Milton, which made landfall as a Category-3 near Siesta Key, FL, on October 9 and spawned an outbreak of 46 tornadoes across the state. Those tornadoes, plus the torrential rainfall and localized flooding as well as the destructive storm surge Milton brought at least $3.17 billion in insurance claims within Florida to date.

In response, veteran-led disaster relief nonprofit Team Rubicon spun up operations across five states to help survivors recover from the storms. According to Deputy Director for Operations Support Lashelle Bullock, Team Rubicon leaned heavily on FedEx to deliver everything from clothing for volunteers—known as Greyshirts—to the tech equipment necessary for serving hurricane survivors to the disaster zones.

As the temperatures dropped, especially in the southern Appalachian Mountains, the nonprofit used FedEx gifts-in-kind to ship hoodies, beanies, and other cold-weather gear to 10 different Forward Operating Bases across five states. Additionally, Team Rubicon leaned on FedEx to ship critical Field Technology kits, which Greyshirts use to capture details on damage to homes that need repair as well as homeowner information.

Getting the supplies Greyshirts need into a disaster zone is no easy feat, but it is one FedEx has become quite accustomed to over the years.

“We operate like a well-oiled machine when it comes to disaster relief efforts. Being proactive to organize and plan our response into an affected area is key to helping those affected quickly,” says Heather Harshbarger, Communications Advisor at FedEx. “So, as a disaster like Hurricane Helene or Milton approaches, and in the hours after it passes, FedEx teams are meeting internally and with our supported NGOs like Team Rubicon to evaluate damage and outages in the affected areas and the routes leading to them. Then we determine what we must do to get around them.”

“Knowing that disaster relief volunteers like those with Team Rubicon will be responding as soon as possible, our FedEx teams quickly figure out how to deliver vital supplies into disaster zones,” explains Harshbarger.

To date, FedEx in-kind shipments have already helped 1,500 Greyshirts serve more than 37,500 Hurricane Helene and Milton survivors in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.