22 May 2024

Commentary: Macho men make mortal mistakes

Every year, USACE publishes updated statistics for water safety (or lack thereof) at its project locations throughout the country. In the eight years I’ve been working for USACE, the statistics on drownings have not significantly changed (that I can recall), regardless of the amount of focus and messaging the enterprise has published. Again, it’s no surprise that USACE data from 2023 shows that drowning victims at our locations are 88 percent male and 89 percent who weren’t wearing life jackets.

17 Jan 2024

A Christmas Story – kind of…

MAUI, Hawaii – When a fire burns hot enough to melt engine blocks and granite countertops, it is at least 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything it touches at that point is compromised. So, when it’s time to clean up a destroyed house or structure, everything must be removed since the debris can contain lead, asbestos and other toxic particles. That can be a challenging reality for wildfire survivors when they must decide what to do about their property.

8 Sep 2020

Violent confluence of Columbia River and Pacific Ocean make jetty work … weighty

During violent winter storms, waves taller than the length of six king-sized beds stacked end-to-end (40 feet) can meet the Columbia River as it makes its way out to the Pacific Ocean. This concentrated colliding of water makes crossing the bar incredibly dangerous, according to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. So precarious, in fact, that this channel had a nickname, “the graveyard of the Pacific,” at least until the U.S. government built critical infrastructure to reduce some of the risk.

28 Jul 2017

New commander takes charge

Col. Aaron L. Dorf became commander of the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during a ceremony, July 28. Dorf took command from Col. Jose L. Aguilar, who served as commander of Portland District since April 15, 2014. Aguilar had high praise for his staff.