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Hurricanes Irma and Maria News Releases

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Hurricanes Irma and Maria News Stories

  • June

    A blue and yellow graphic with symbols identifying workers supporting Typhoon Mawar RISEUP Temporary Roofing

    RISEUP Program Launches to Help Temporarily Repair Metal Roofs

    GUAM - The U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with the Office of the Governor, Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Mayor’s Council of Guam, have launched the Roofing Installation Support Emergency Utilization Program (RISEUP) to help temporarily repair metal roofs damaged by Typhoon Mawar.

  • May

    Two men, one wearing an Army uniform and the other wearing a blue polo shirt, sit in front of two silver laptops to review final deployment strategies.

    USACE readies for Typhoon Mawar Disaster Relief

    The US Army Corps of Engineers is working in partnership with the local and federal partners in response to Typhoon Mawar.

  • September

    USACE

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiates Blue Roof Program

    VICKSBURG, Miss. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviving its free Operation Blue Roof program to get as many houses into livable condition as possible during Hurricane Ida recovery. Operation Blue Roof is a priority mission managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for FEMA.

  • August

    USACE Memphis District Team deployed to Louisiana in support of FEMA Hurricane Ida relief efforts

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Memphis District deployed an Emergency Power Planning and Response Team (PRT) in support of FEMA’s Hurricane Ida recovery efforts.

  • May

    A team that includes subject-matter experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the California Department of Public Health and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services conduct a final inspection of work at Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center in Boyle Heights, California, April 16, as part of FEMA’s support to California in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Corps completes final inspection of LA-area hospital COVID-19 additions

    LOS ANGELES – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District led a final inspection of work April 22 at Mission Community Hospital in Panorama City, California, as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s support to California in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • April

    Jerry Breznican (White Shirt), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District chief of Emergency Management, highlights how the district manages and operates Emergency Command and Control Vehicles that can be utilized when available during an emergency response to first responders April 8, 2021 at Center Hill Dam in Lancaster, Tennessee. The group participated in First Responders Day, an event where regional first responders work through an exercise scenario to communicate and facilitate awareness. (USACE Photo by Lee Roberts)

    First responders coordinate actions in Center Hill Dam tabletop exercise

    LANCASTER, Tenn. (April 15, 2019) – First responders participated in an exercise at Center Hill Dam last week to coordinate actions that would be necessary if they had to respond to a scenario where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District could not operate the spillways during a high water event.
  • Road Sign that says Cherokee Park

    Cherokee Park Reopens April 15

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District announces that beginning April 15, Cherokee Park near Morrilton, Arkansas will be available for reservations.
  • Christina Eddleman, environmental engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District, deployed to Lafayette, Louisiana, for 30 days in March 2021 to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s temporary housing mission. USACE supports FEMA in emergency operations under the National Response Framework’s Emergency Response Function 3: Public Works and Engineering. (Courtesy photo provided by Christina Eddleman)

    My Hurricane Laura Deployment Experience

    Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has given me a lot of opportunities to learn, grow, and challenge myself. Most recently, I was deployed down to Lafayette, Louisiana, along with several other USACE teammates, and we were assigned to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s temporary housing mission.
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    A Captain's role in an ACF build-out

    Editors Note: April 6, 2020 was the day the Memphis District awarded the contract to build an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) in Memphis, Tennessee. The article below was written by Cpt. Alex Burruss, who at that time deployed to the Memphis District to work as an Operations Officer and assist with ACF projects and operations. This is his account of what happened during his few months working here. At the onset of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the U.S.  Army Corps of Engineers. USACE collaborated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a plan for the rapid expansion of COVID-19 treatment spaces. USACE assigned each of its districts an area of responsibility, and the districts integrated into the local and state response agencies within their areas of responsibility. As local civil authorities conducted analysis and projected bed space requirements, USACE developed facility modification options for accommodating additional beds. Districts completed site assessments and provided project management support for converting existing buildings into alternate care facilities (ACFs).  In April 2020, three weeks after the President declared a national emergency, the U.S. Army Engineer School (USAES), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, deployed more than 30 Soldiers in support of the USACE response effort; Cpt. Alex W. Burruss was deployed to the Memphis District, USACE Mississippi Valley Division, Tennessee, for more than 60 days.

  • March

    Col. Julie Balten, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, right, and Brig. Gen. Paul Owen, commander of the Corps’ South Pacific Division, left, pause for a quick discussion March 19 after viewing construction progress of the Corps and its contractors work on an alternate care facility at Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

    General visits LA-area hospitals, gets updates on construction progress in support of COVID-19 response

    Brig. Gen. Paul Owen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division commander, visited two Los Angeles-area hospitals March 19 to view the progress on construction the Corps and its contractors are doing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.