Seattle District assists hurricane recovery efforts with additional deployments

Published Sept. 15, 2017

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, has so far deployed 13 technical experts to support both Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts.

A three-person Infrastructure Assessment Planning and Response Team is deployed to Florida to assist the state with damage assessments of water and waste water treatment facilities. They are also evaluating critical public infrastructure to determine if emergency repairs are necessary.

Two commodities subject-matter experts are deployed to assist FEMA and the state of Florida with distributing ice and water for impacted communities. Seattle District’s local government liaison is also deployed to Florida to assist impacted cities and counties with determining what federal resources are available to support their recovery efforts.

The other deployed personnel include: three emergency management specialists, a dam safety expert, a public affairs specialist, a logistics expert and a construction specialist.

Under a federal emergency response, the Corps serves as the lead agency to respond with public works and engineering support and to coordinate long-term infrastructure recovery. When disasters occur, Corps teams and other resources are mobilized from across the country to assist local Corps districts and offices in their response missions.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is prepared and ready to respond to natural and human-made disasters. When disasters occur, Corps teams and other resources are mobilized from across the country to assist our local districts and offices to deliver our response missions.

The Corps is part of the federal government’s unified national response to disasters and emergencies, and serves as the lead agency to respond with public works and engineering support, and to coordinate long-term infrastructure recovery. The Corps conducts its emergency response activities under two basic authorities – the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act, and mission-assigned by FEMA, under the Stafford Disaster and Emergency Assistance Act.

In any disaster, the Corps’ top priorities are 1) support immediate life-saving and life-safety response priorities; 2) sustain lives with critical commodities, temporary emergency power and other needs; and 3) initiate recovery efforts by assessing and restoring critical infrastructure.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

For information about FEMA’s response to these hurricanes, visit https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-harvey or https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-irma.

Check out http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/EmergencyOperations.aspx for more information about the Corps of Engineers’ emergency management mission and roles in supporting national disasters.

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Contact
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206-764-3750

Release no. 17-036