Composite imagery from satellites show Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico as it approaches the Florida's coastline on Sept. 26, 2024 (Courtesy NOAA imagery)

Hurricane Helene Response

 

USACE's number one priority continues to be the life, health, and safety of all who are affected by Hurricane Helene.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working in partnership with the local, state, and federal response to the Hurricane Helene. More than 260 USACE personnel are deployed, coordinating with partners in the affected areas. Additionally, around 65 USACE personnel are supporting response efforts via reach-back, and USACE has more than 215 contractor personnel deployed.

Temporary Emergency Power personnel are at a staging bases in North Carolina  and Georgia with generators and equipment, postured to provide support. The temporary power team in N.C. is providing comprehensive power assessments evaluating the extent of outages to facilitate rapid recovery.  One of the first generator installs in the state was at a wastewater treatment facility in Hendersonville, NC on October 4. Personnel continue power assessments. Assessments are inspections of existing connection points to determine serviceability and to expedite generator installations.

A potable water task force was formed to conduct field investigations and provide technical assistance to local and state government agencies outside of the declared counties. Task Force Potable Water will work closely with the task force that is conducting water/wastewater assessments.

Subject matter experts (SMEs) in Debris Removal have been deployed to South Carolina to provide technical assistance. In North Carolina Debris Removal SME's are providing technical assistance and coordinating the scope of potential Debris Removal missions for impacted areas. In Florida, debris personnel continue to conduct windshield assessments.

USACE is deploying SMEs for Water/Wastewater management and SMEs for road/bridge inspections. Assessment and inspection personnel will look at critical infrastructure impacted by the storm.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers brings unique capabilities to emergency responses, but we are just one piece of a much larger Army and DoD team working to support our federal, state, and local partners.

We encourage everyone to follow the guidance from their local emergency management officials.

Latest News

ERDC researchers use 2D, 3D modeling to aid in hurricane debris assessment
11/8/2024
As recovery efforts continue in western North Carolina, researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are aiding emergency responders by providing debris pile modeling...
Debris Removal Effort Ramps Up at Claytor Lake with Additional Resources
10/28/2024
DUBLIN, Va., October 23, 2024 – Debris removal operations at Claytor Lake have intensified as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in partnership with the Virginia Department of Emergency...
USACE team collecting Hurricane Helene flood data to build resiliency into community planning and response
10/23/2024
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 23, 2024) – Data collection teams are documenting flood information that will help hydraulic engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers understand the impacts of Hurricane...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins largest Virginia debris removal mission in 20 years at Claytor Lake
10/21/2024
PULASKI COUNTY, Va. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Norfolk District, officially began debris removal operations at Claytor Lake, Oct. 19, following Hurricane Helene's aftermath. This is...
With bird’s-eye view, Army engineer researchers, Soldiers respond to Hurricane Helene
10/18/2024
As responders continue to help North Carolina communities devastated by Hurricane Helene, a team from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), headquartered in Vicksburg,...
USACE Installs First Generators
10/5/2024 UPDATED
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Temporary Emergency Power team completed the first installations of generators across western North Carolina yesterday to assist communities with critical power needs...
Corps provides regulatory info for North Carolina flood response
10/3/2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District has released a fact sheet aimed at assisting the public in navigating permitting requirements during the recovery process in the wake of Hurricane...
Louisville District deploys debris team in support of Hurricane Helene recovery
10/3/2024
Subject matter experts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville district are deploying to areas in North Carolina and Florida that were impacted by Hurricane Helene. The Federal Emergency...
Corps provides regulatory info for Tennessee flood response
10/2/2024
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 2, 2024) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District has released a fact sheet aimed at assisting the public in navigating permitting requirements during the recovery...
Corps of Engineers Monitors Impact of Hurricane Helene on Cumberland River Basin
9/26/2024
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is monitoring expected heavy rainfall as the the remnants of Hurricane Helene are forecasted to move through the Cumberland River Basin beginning...

Contractor Information

Contractors, please go to our Capabilities Submission Page to inform USACE about the capabilities you could bring to the disaster response efforts. Also, please refer to our Contracting in a Disaster Page for further information on how to be a part of the response efforts. 

  • Businesses and individual contractors interested in doing business with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should take the first step of registering with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/index.jsf
  • The SAM.gov solicitation and contract award system is used by the Corps and many, many other federal agencies for publishing solicitations and awarding contracts.  The Corps draws on the pool of SAM.gov registered businesses to award the contracts necessary to accomplish its missions, including post-storm restoration work.
  • Small businesses may be particularly interested in contracting opportunities available through the HQ USACE Small Business Office. Information and points of contact may be found at https://www.usace.army.mil/Business-With-Us/Small-Business/.  Subcontracting opportunities usually result through partnerships with larger companies. Firms interested in pursuing such possibilities can find information from the U.S. Small Business Association at https://www.sba.gov.