Volunteer group helps with Lincoln Co. disaster cleanup
The Western News | The Western News | UPDATED 4 hours, 10 minutes AGO
Team Rubicon, a disaster response non-profit group, recently spent time in Lincoln County helping clean up some of the debris and destruction left by three major weather events since December 2025. From left, are Libby local Jamie Janovec, Annemarie, Dean and Ryan. Jancovec is a local while the others are from the Montana/Idaho area. She is also a registered nurse and a probationary volunteer with David Thompson Search and Rescue. (Courtesy photo)
Team Rubicon conducted an official service project in the Libby, Troy and Yaak areas at the beginning of April to help with debris and tree removal following the impacts of severe wind storms in December and March and flooding in December.
Jamie Janovec, a Libby resident, registered nurse at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center, member of David Thompson Search and Rescue and Team Rubicon volunteer, conducted surveys after the flooding and wind events to determine properties eligible for debris clean up. She teamed up with Lincoln County Emergency Manager Boyd White to determine what properties were in need that Team Rubicon could assist.
Once these properties were identified, a weekend was set to conduct the debris and tree removal.
Team Rubicon assisted with four properties over the weekend of April 10. With their sawyer and debris removal skills they aided the property owners and allowed the current status of the property to be more manageable for the property owner.
Part of the survey identified owners that were overwhelmed with the number of downed trees and debris damage and were physically unable to clear the property. Team Rubicon's goal is to serve others and get the work done that is necessary to allow the property owners to manage the property in the future.
"We want to show the residents of Libby and Troy that we are committed to helping out with much needed disaster relief and mitigation in the long run," Janovec said. "Also to be there if another disaster were to occur. We want to promote trust and integrity to the community."
Team Rubicon thanked Lincoln County Emergency Management for providing a place to stay and Pure North Athletics for providing shower access for the weekend. It is most appreciated!
Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization delivering disaster relief to supporting communities. The non-profit is headquartered in California and has nearly 200,000 members.
According to information on its webpage, the team was born in 2010 after U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jake Wood couldn’t stand idly by as a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti. He saw an immense need for help, so he acted. While other relief organizations hemmed and hawed, Wood led a team of seven into action. That small, scrappy team cared for thousands of survivors, broke the mold of humanitarian aid, and proved that we can always do more.
That was our first operation—and the one that gave Team Rubicon its name. Channeling the audacity of Julius Caesar as he crossed the Rubicon River in Italy, our team was committing themselves irrevocably to the cause when they crossed the Artibonite River into Haiti, their own point of no return.
Today, the team has expanded, but its mission remains the same: to help people affected by disasters. With billion-dollar disasters happening every 18 days on average, more people need support, so we need more donors, advocates, partners, and Greyshirts—the volunteers who don grey shirts and step up to support our mission of serving communities near and far.
For more information and how you can sign up and volunteer, visit teamrubiconusa.org or email Jamie Janovec at [email protected] to get involved.