Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Homeowner Mariann Smith, of Rockaway, New York welcomes back Team Rubicon volunteer member and military veteran Kyle Murphy to her home. She expresses her thanks for the work they started on the previous day and her concern for all the work that is still needed to be done. Murphy and a team of veterans and civilian volunteers spent three days demolishing all the damage in her home after it was severely flooded in Hurricane Sandy. Team Rubicon is made of volunteer military veterans who mobilize themselves and civilian volunteers in disaster relief efforts. They have set up a base to help with th eoverwhelming need in the Rockaways. The area has very significant Post Hurricane Sandy damage. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Volunteers with team Rubicon finish removing her possessions so they can begin to remove the walls which were already growing moldy. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Mariann Smith stands by the water line mark on the wall in her living room. The water line is above her head. Behind her, her son Christopher Smith and volunteers discuss how they plan to work on the room they are in. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Volunteers with team Rubicon remove Mariann's possessions and separate them into unsalvageable and salvageable items for her to sort through. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Volunteers with team Rubicon empty out Mariann Smiths waterlogged cabinets. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Volunteers with team Rubicon remove debris from Mariann Smith's home. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: A team Rubicon vet carries Smith's kitchen cabinet to the curb. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Mariann Smith's son Christopher Smith and his girlfriend Jessica look out on their street after a day of working with Team Rubicon to help clear out Smith's mothers house after Hurricane Sandy Ravaged her home. Christopher Smith had only moved out and in with his girlfriend just over a month before the storm. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 18, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Mariann Smith surveys her home and belongings in her back yard. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Volunteers with team Rubicon clear debris from Smith's yard and driveway of Smiths home. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Mariann Smith inspects her home in the middle of team Rubicon's work. She is happy with what they have done but sad to see her home being dismantled even though she understands it is necessary. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 18, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Mariann Smith is an animal rescuer and has about 24 cats seeking refuge in her home. Most of the cats she cares for are deemed unadoptable. All have been affected by the storm. She is doing her best to provide care and comfort for them amidst the post Hurricane Sandy chaos. Animal rescue organizations have donated food, cat beds and supplies to her. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 18, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Volunteer Parry Kring, a college student at Landmark College in Vermont, plays with one of Mariann Smith's cats. Rockaway, New York. November 18, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 18, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Mariann Smith is an animal rescuer and has about 24 cats seeking refuge in her home. Volunteers with Team Rubicon move about five cats by crate from a shed which they live in so that the shed can be cleaned and made safe for their return. Rockaway, New York. November 18, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 18, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: U.S. Marines Veteran and Team Rubicon volunteer Bob Ciri from Westchester, New York and his girlfriend Barb Mcdonald check in with each other while working on Smith's home together. Rockaway, New York. November 18, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 18, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Military Veteran and Team Rubicon volunteer volunteers lift up a shed on Smith's property to move it into place. Then they discover their is something underneath, so the team lifts it up again to remove a trapped piece of debris. Rockaway, New York. November 18, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Rockaway, New York Post Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. November 18, 2012. Rockaway, New York. Much of the coverage is about Team Rubicon a military veterans volunteer organization that organizes volunteers, both veterans and non-veterans for disaster relief.

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: The livingroom on the ground floor of Smith's home is almost all down to the studs, but the rooms in back still have walls that need demolishing. Rockaway, New York. November 17, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 17, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Mariann Smith of Rockaway hugs military vet Kyle Murphy as a group of volunteers organized by Team Rubicon arrived to help clean up her home. Team Rubicon mobilizes military veterans to disaster relief areas to help get the relief effort going in areas that FEMA and the Red Cross have not yet been able to make an impact. The cleanup of Smith's modest home took 3 days and involved removing all her possessions and throwing out those that are unsalvageable, demolishing the structure of her ground floor to its studs to remove mold, and making the home habitable for Smith, 5 dogs and about 24 cats she provides care for, most of whom are unadoptable. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 19, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: Back in her home after Team Rubicon removed as much of the flood damaged walls and debris as possible. Mariann Smith began to go through her belongings. One of the items she discovers is a metal lunchbox with letters and memorabilia of her fathers that she has never seen before. She hopes to dry out the letters and salvage the photographs so she can keep them. She also hopes to receive a new boiler and hot water heater as well as electricity soon. To have her electricity turned on, she needs a form filled out by an electrician stating that her wiring is safe. Many people cannot afford the electrician's fee to come and fix the damage let alone inspect. If that is the case, they will continue to live with no electricity. Rockaway, New York. November 19, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)

Team Rubicon

November 18, 2012 - Rockaway, New York, United States: A flag sits in the window of Smith's home. Rockaway, New York. November 18, 2012. (Jessica Brandi Lifland/Polaris)