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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is actively working with the City and Borough of Juneau and other stakeholders to construct effective flood risk mitigation solutions, assembling materials and experienced professionals from across the country to work toward an effective solution for Juneau.
“Experts like Daryl are a real testament to the commitment of the entire enterprise for the Mendenhall Valley flood mitigation effort,” Palazzini said. “The Corps of Engineers is built to respond to challenges like this, and we are a proud partner of the Juneau community in pursuing a solution to this ongoing issue.” — USACE Announces Unprecedented Approach to Protect Juneau, Alaska from Mendenhall Glacier Floods

'The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of the Interior announced Friday their intent to undertake a never-before-seen “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork” (BINP) approach to protect Juneau, Alaska, from future glacial lake outburst floods...'

8/7/2026
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USACE to begin construction on alternate care facilities in Virginia

By Norfolk District Public Affairs @norfolkdistrict Norfolk District Public Affairs Office

Published April 6, 2020

Updated: April 6, 2020

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Meetings are taking place inside the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton Virginia between local, state and federal representatives on how best to convert the building into an alternate care facility. The Federal Emergency Management Agency tasked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and recommend sites for Alternative Care Facilities in Virginia, and Governor Northam approved locations in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. Norfolk District personnel, along with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia National Guard and emergency management personnel from local and regional governments are now meeting with health care professionals and representatives from area health care systems to plan how best to convert the selected sites to meet their needs. The Corps has received three mission assignments from FEMA to begin construction on the Alternate Care Facilities shortly. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bloodgood)

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NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has received three mission assignments from FEMA to construct alternate care facilities in Northern Virginia, the Hampton Roads region and in the Richmond, Virginia area.

The District is working to get contracts in place to mobilize contractors as quickly as possible to begin work on converting the Dulles Expo Center in Loudoun County Virginia, the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia and the Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia.

The facilities will be converted into medical care space providing needed hospital bed capacity for the Commonwealth.

Drew Gebler, a Norfolk District architect, talks with local, state and federal representatives in the Hampton Roads Convention Center, on how best to convert the building into an alternate care facility. The Federal Emergency Management Agency tasked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and recommend sites for Alternative Care Facilities in Virginia, and Governor Northam approved locations in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. Norfolk District personnel, along with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia National Guard and emergency management personnel from local and regional governments are now meeting with health care professionals and representatives from area health care systems to plan how best to convert the selected sites to meet their needs. The Corps has received three mission assignments from FEMA to begin construction on the Alternate Care Facilities shortly. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bloodgood)

“The dedicated employees at the Norfolk District stand ready to support the commonwealth and the nation during this time of national crisis,” said Col. Patrick Kinsman, Norfolk District commander. “We will continue to build upon the momentum that USACE has built in delivering the needed hospital bed capacity in an unprecedented amount of time.”

Brian Boynton, a Norfolk District project manager, tours the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton Virginia during a meeting with local, state and federal representatives on how best to convert the building into an alternate care facility. The Federal Emergency Management Agency tasked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and recommend sites for Alternative Care Facilities in Virginia, and Governor Northam approved locations in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads. Norfolk District personnel, along with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia National Guard and emergency management personnel from local and regional governments are now meeting with health care professionals and representatives from area health care systems to plan how best to convert the selected sites to meet their needs. The Corps has received three mission assignments from FEMA to begin construction on the Alternate Care Facilities shortly. (U.S. Army photo by Patrick Bloodgood)

The conversion will include adapting the buildings existing infrastructure to support the needs of a working hospital, which includes, reliable backup generation, water, sanitation, HVAC, and oxygen. The buildings will be built out to provide stations for medical personnel, pharmacies, as well as admin spaces in addition to patient care areas.

Work on all the facilities is expected to begin within 48 to 72 hours of contract awards, and is expected to be completed within a six-week period.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced the facilities during press briefings on April 1 and 3. His full announcement can be found at https://www.governor.virginia.gov/

Overall, not including the most recent assignments to the Norfolk District, USACE has received 22 FEMA Mission Assignments totaling approximately $1.5 billion, and USACE has more than 15,000 personnel engaged, across our enterprise, in our response effort who are providing support both on site and virtually. Of the USACE personnel engaged, more than 1,750 personnel are deployed. USACE Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) have been activated at 44 locations across our Divisions and Districts.

The selection of the buildings was made by Virginia officials, who used the initial planning and assessment recommendations from District teams to help guide their decisions.

Through the unified national emergencies response, USACE deploys hundreds of people to provide technical engineering expertise and promote capacity development at home and abroad. The Corps provides management and technical services to include: management and oversight in design, engineering and construction; environmental restoration and management services; research and development assistance.

USACE continues to coordinate at every level with both federal and non-federal stakeholders, including FEMA, Health and Human Services, commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia National Guard and many others. Public Safety is the Corps’ number one priority.

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