Residents were stranded in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn Monday night, so two men -- Iraq war veterans -- stepped in.

"It's a pretty simple philosophy: Who do you want to throw in a dicey situation? Guys who have been there who know how to react in these situations," said Team Rubicon Volunteer Peter Meijer.

The men were moonlighting as rescue workers, volunteers known as Team Rubicon. They had word a man was stranded in an attic, so they found a boat and set off into the darkness.

Meanwhile, the NYPD was nearby coordinating their own rescue missions, bringing a handful of residents to safety.

"It was very flooded. This is my niece and nephew and my sister was very worried and it smelled like gas so the police rescued us," said one one distressed Brooklyn resident.

Then, more than an hour later, half of Team Rubicon emerged from the darkness with dog in hand.

"We went to our target, got to the house. He really wanted to get out. He's older. He's probably 100 feet behind me," said Team Rubicon Volunteer Marvin Avilez.

He arrived 20 minutes later, the other half of Team Rubicon with him. And then he was on his way back to his wife at a Brooklyn emergency shelter, where she was volunteering.

"I didn't think it would be that bad. Like I said, there are storms but some of the houses on the water they get flooded, but it's never been this bad," said Tom McCabe, a rescued Gerritsen Beach resident.

It's here they would stay until they could survey the damage.

"Knowing he was up in the attic with my dog as I was working here and I am very appreciative and then tomorrow I will see what I have and that's it," said Karen McCabe, a volunteer and Gerritsen Beach resident.

From there, the Rubicon Team went back to headquarters where they expected to get their next assignment.