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Hurricanes Irma and Maria News Releases

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Hurricanes Irma and Maria News Stories

  • April

    Col. Andrew Kelly, commander of the Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, hands a letter certifying the completion of the Alternate Care Facility the district built in the Miami Convention Center to Kevin Guthrie, Deputy Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The facility provides 450 beds, 50 of them intensive care unit beds, gives the state of Florida medical providers and state emergency managers flexibility as they prepare for a COVID-19 based surge at local and regional medical facilities. Initially, the facility was to be completed by April 27, but the deadline was moved to April 20 after a meeting with the Florida governor identified an expedited need. Even with the shortened deadline, the Corps of Engineers delivered the site early, with the contractor completing construction April 18 and the Corps signing over the facility to the state on April 19.

    Jacksonville District Completes Miami Beach Convention Center Alternate Care Facility Ahead of Schedule

    Two months ago, the Miami Beach Convention Center was hosting 80,000 fans for the NFL Experience as part of Super Bowl festivities. The Jacksonville District just finished transforming the center into a 450-bed alternate care facility to treat COVID-19 patients, and did it ahead of schedule.
  • USACE Little Rock essential workers - at work

    To "Essential Personnel" everywhere - thank you.

    Col. Noe, commander of the Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shares a thank you message with all the nation’s essential personnel.

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Turns Over 7 Alternate Care Sites Over the Weekend

    Between Friday, April 17 and Monday, April 20, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished seven alternate care sites in response to COVID-19. Together with the previous three completed locations, this brings the total to 10. This weekend the Corps of Engineers finished the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, AK; Wisconsin State Fair Expo Center in West Allis, WI; Gibson Medical Center in Albuquerque, NM; Miyamura High School in Gallup, NM; and the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, FL. The Corps of Engineers is turning over two sites today. They are the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI and Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. 
  • Re-purposing Water Safety Materials in a Time of Crisis

    Re-Purposing Water Safety Materials in a Time of Crisis

    John W. Flannagan and North Fork of Pound donate water safety bandanas for re-purposing into much needed protective face masks for Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office and Dickenson County Emergency Services.
  • Hur, Myo Boon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Far East District architectural section chief, conducts work at her home during the district telework schedule in response to preventing the spread of COVID 19, Apr. 15.

    Far East District employees find innovative solutions to support mission while teleworking

    CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea –Due to the global pandemic, COVID 19, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Far East District (FED) has reduced its manpower to mission essential only reporting to the office daily. In an effort to stop the spread of the virus, many district employees have adopted a telework schedule.
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    Army Corps, Partners Construct Alternate Care Facility at State University of New York at Stony Brook, Long Island N.Y.

    The Alternate Care Facility is taking shape on the State University of New York at Stony Brook on Long Island to facilitate the care for COVID-19 patients. The Corps awarded the $101 million contract to build a 1,000-bed temporary hospital and part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ efforts to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency response.

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Completes 3 Alternate Care Sites-April 13, 2020 Update)

    In the daily ACF roll up brief from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Javits Center in New York, NY; the TCF Center in Chicago and the Missouri ACF in Florissant, MO are all listed at 100% complete. Construction is underway on 18 additional locations for a total of 21 alternate care sites. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working in support of the FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency - and in coordination with other federal, state, local and tribal partners – in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The latest facts and figures about our ongoing activities are contained in the following infographic (As of April 13).
  • Lt. Col. Jonathan Klink, commander, Pittsburgh District, follows CDC guidelines for the removal and decontamination of personally protective equipment following an assessment of a potential Alternate Care Facility in northeastern Ohio, Monday. Currently, Pittsburgh District is on standby for mission assignments to begin the process of preparing ACFs for action at two previously assessed sites.

    Corps Teams Conduct Crucial Assessments

    In the face of an ongoing national health crisis, assessment teams from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District have been evaluating possible sites for Alternative Care Facilities (ACF) across western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio.

  • Corps Starts Construction of 450-Bed Alternate Care Facility at Miami Beach Convention Center

    The governor of Florida and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) commanding general met with county and city leaders in Miami Beach Wednesday to discuss construction of an alternate care facility in the Miami Beach Convention Center. Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, USACE Commanding General and 54th Chief of Engineers, joined Gov. Ron DeSantis, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez and Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber on a tour of the 500,000 square foot facility that the Army Corps of Engineers began transforming into a 450-bed alternate care facility Tuesday.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Far East District Southern Resident Office facilitated a certified decontamination team to clean a project site at Camp Walker, South Korea after a contractor employee tested positive for COVID 19, Mar. 2020.

    FED Southern Resident Office facilitates site decontamination

    CAMP WALKER, South Korea—COVID-19 has become a pandemic that has affected almost every corner of the world. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Far Eat District (FED) has been faced with challenges due to the pandemic, however, the district has remained resilient in its efforts.

Blue Roof Logo

Operation Blue Roof 1-888-ROOF-BLU (7663-258) is a priority mission managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The purpose of Operation Blue Roof is to provide homeowners in disaster areas with fiber-reinforced sheeting to cover their damaged roofs until arrangements can be made for permanent repairs.

Call centers for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be established as communications on the islands improve.


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Overview

  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is prepared and ready to respond to natural and human-made disasters and overseas contingencies. When disasters occur, USACE teams and other resources are mobilized from across the country to assist our local districts and offices to deliver our response missions.
    • USACE has more than 50 specially-trained response teams supported by emergency contracts to perform a wide range of public works and engineering-related support missions. 
    • USACE uses pre-awarded contracts that can be quickly activated for missions such as debris removal, temporary roofing, commodities distribution, and generator installation.
  • Every year, USACE, as part of the federal government’s unified national response to disasters and emergencies, deploys hundreds of people to provide technical engineering expertise and to promote capacity development at home and abroad. 
    • In 2016, USACE had 1096 personnel deployments in response to one or more of 33 disaster declarations.
      USACE serves as the lead agency to respond with public works and engineering support and to coordinate long-term infrastructure recovery.