Corps responds to Hurricane Isaac

Published Aug. 29, 2012

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Rock Island District is sending a team of volunteers to support the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division’s response to Hurricane Isaac.

 

The Mississippi Valley Division is supporting Louisiana and Mississippi and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Regions IV and VI efforts to organize response to Hurricane Isaac. The Corps has received mission assignments from FEMA and has deployed Emergency Power Teams to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Commodities, debris and temporary roofing teams are being deployed to Louisiana.

 

The Rock Island District has deployed a management cell of commodity team experts and is deploying quality assurance representatives to support distribution of commodities to hurricane-impacted areas. Additional volunteers will deploy as needed. The District is also providing unwatering engineering technical assistance and pumps to the New Orleans area.

 

Other Corps response teams, such as commodities, debris, temporary roofing and temporary housing, have been placed on alert status to support Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. The Corps is also deploying Emergency Command and Control Vehicles to Alabama and Mississippi to assist with onsite communications.

 

The Corps is confident the new Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System around greater New Orleans will reduce flood risk from Hurricane Isaac as the New Orleans District operates surge barriers and closure structures.

 

"Teams from our six districts and other districts within the United States are trained, rehearsed and ready to move into the area with FEMA and state emergency management teams as soon as practical,” said David Sills, Chief of MVD’s Readiness and Contingency Operations. “We also want to make sure our employees and their families are safe while providing continuity of operations.”

Corps District offices that conduct the programs and activities overseen by the Mississippi Valley Division are located in St. Paul, Minn.; Rock Island, Ill.; St. Louis; Memphis, Tenn.; Vicksburg, Miss.; and New Orleans.


Release no. FY12-08-31