ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (June 10) – Following the most recent spring flooding, May 28 through June 7, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, provided flood-fight supplies and on-the-ground technical assistance to areas along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers and their tributaries.
On May 28, the Corps activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located at its headquarters in the Clock Tower Building on Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., to assist cities and communities with flood-fight supplies and technical support. Those efforts included deploying specially trained Flood Area Engineers to provide technical assistance to local emergency managers and providing expedient flood-fighting equipment and supplies such as HESCO barriers, sandbags, pumps and plastic sheeting.
The District distributed 62,000 sandbags, 14 pumps, 210 rolls of sheeting, and 4,950 feet of HESCO Bastion flood-fight barriers. Additionally, 22 Corps employees were fully-engaged providing flood-fighting support in the field.
To quickly address flood response needs and provide rapid flood response support, the District deployed a liaison to the Johnson County, Iowa EOC and State of Iowa EOC. Additionally, the District Remote EOC in Quincy, Ill. was opened on May 30. After flood waters receded, the Corps closed the Quincy Center June 5.
The District has approximately 100 specially trained flood area engineers who contact drainage and levee districts to coordinate flood-fighting activities and ensure flood-fighting supplies are available if needed.
The Rock Island District’s Emergency Management mission serves communities in a 78,000-square-mile, five-river-basin area which includes Iowa and Illinois and portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri. Communities facing flood events can request Corps assistance through their state emergency management agency.
For more information please visit our Rock Island District Flood Web site at http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil.