ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (April 24) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, is conducting round the clock emergency operations in the wake of widespread flooding on the Mississippi, Illinois and Rock Rivers as well as their tributaries. The District’s Emergency Operations Center is overseeing response efforts ranging from flood supplies to on-the-ground technical assistance.
Public safety is the top priority for the Corps of Engineers. The Rock Island District has deployed dozens of experts to support local and state authorities, emergency responders, levee owners and community leaders with technical assistance and flood-fighting materials to save lives, and mitigate public infrastructure and private property damages. As of today, 33 Rock Island District employees are deployed to provide technical assistance and flood-fight supplies in areas affected by flooding. Although both the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers have crested or will crest soon in most areas, the flood fight is ongoing. The District has established remote EOCs in Peoria, Ill., and Quincy, Ill.
In addition to personnel supporting communities, the District’s EOC has provided flood fighting supplies by request. To date, those supplies have included 23 pumps, 8,910 feet of HESCO Bastion flood-fight barriers, 238,700 sandbags and 132 rolls of polyethylene. The requests for assistance have come from the states of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.
For more information please visit our Rock Island District Flood Web site at www.mvr.usace.army.mil/About/Offices/EmergencyManagement/2013Flood.aspx.
Release no. 13-023