Local rescue group saves lives in Milton’s aftermath

Over the past three weeks, a local organization dedicated to rescuing the unreachable potentially saved dozens of lives around Tampa Bay and Asheville, North Carolina.

Tampa-based Grey Bull Rescue specializes in quickly reaching American citizens trapped in conflict and disaster zones. The nonprofit’s special operations (SpecOps) and support teams mobilized around the area before heading to Appalachia during Hurricane Helene.

Personnel returned home as Hurricane Milton set its sights on Tampa Bay. Founder Bryan Stern, also a combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, left Beirut, Lebanon after rescuing a child facing imminent danger from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization.

Grey Bull immediately deployed teams with specialized boats, amphibious vehicles and thermal imagery-equipped drones to impacted areas around Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota in Milton’s aftermath. “Completely and totally destroyed” places, Stern said, are “kind of our office.”

“It is way easier to do these things when you know the streets – when you know the people, where you speak the language and no one is trying to kill you,” he told the Catalyst. “Because it’s closer to home, we take it very seriously.”

Bryan Stern (left) and an unidentified special operations team member rescue an elderly Tampa woman.

Grey Bull navigated flooded and debris-filled roads to reach trapped residents. Personnel, nearly all with SpecOps military experience, used chainsaws to clear paths.

Stern, who also has extensive hostage rescue, counterterrorism, critical technology protection and unconventional warfare training, recently posted multiple live streams in chest-deep water. He noted that social media “is our 911.”

Stern created the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation after leading a team that saved 117 stranded Americans during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The organization has rescued over 7,000 people in 36 countries through nearly 2,000 donor- and privately-funded operations.

Stern credited first responders for their storm response. However, he also noted that “there are a lot of people and only so many boats.”

“We’re out here saving lives,” Stern added. “But we need your help. We need donations.”

Stern said Grey Bull has “gone through” all its chainsaws and hand tools cutting downed trees into movable pieces. Heavy-duty waders, vital during flooding, are unusable after one mission due to the toxic water.

The organization has delivered fuel to stranded families, many with babies. Grey Bull also partnered with Walmart to give away water and supplies Monday.

However, the nonprofit’s primary focus is removing hard-to-reach people from life-threatening situations. Stern has found a common theme in every conflict or disaster zone – “everything is always a big mess.”

“If someone loses their house from a Russian bomb, or because floods came and washed it away, at the end of the day, their shock about how they’ve lost everything is identical,” Stern added. “A mother and father with a couple of kids who are now homeless, it doesn’t really matter why they’re homeless.

“What they’re worried about is that they’re homeless.”

Grey Bull Rescue relies on donated resources, like the amphibious vehicle (background), to operate.

Stern believes Grey Bull’s collective experience separates the organization from other search and rescue groups. He also noted that his nonprofit only exists because people either lack the ability or choose not to leave dangerous areas.

Stern explained that authorities allocate resources to relatively safe places and assume residents have left evacuated areas. He implores people to heed those orders and, despite a “love-hate relationship with the government, depending on the day,” said officials are “trying to do a good job.”

“The government isn’t waking up saying, ‘How do I screw things up,’” Stern said. “They make the best decisions that they can. One of those decisions is evacuating people in advance. The number one thing people can do is listen.”

While Stern is not fond of most social or traditional media, he regularly witnesses both help save lives. He said government officials do not offer Grey Bull’s contact information and instead remind constituents that they should have evacuated.

Stern said a kid recently rescued from Beirut owes his life to a series of people who shared his plight on Facebook. The information eventually reached Grey Bull; personnel regularly rely on social media to find people.

Those trapped in dangerous areas – and their family members – can register with the organization in advance. Case managers will notify rescue teams of people who are unsafe or unreachable.

However, Stern said Grey Bull needs financial assistance, “and we need it bad.” He noted that the nonprofit doesn’t receive government funding for private rescues or even a thank-you note.

“None of this stuff happens without the generosity of donors,” Stern added. “We don’t mind doing the work, but we need public support. We really do.”

Grey Bull Rescue website.