Army Corps Of Engineers Team Joins The Flood Response 

Release Date: September 29, 2004
Release Number: 1558-022

» More Information on West Virginia Severe Storms, Flooding and Landslides

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The blue shirts of FEMA and the field uniforms of the National Guard are being joined by red-shirted officers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to assist with debris removal and other Hurricane Ivan recovery projects.

FEMA’s Public Assistance staff is training and deploying a team of 25 Corps of Engineers project officers and quality control inspectors. They are being sent to the hardest hit parts of the 16 counties in the federally declared disaster area, primarily in the Northern Panhandle. The newly-arrived specialists will work in emergency support roles with city and county officials to assemble resources for removing flood debris and plan other projects.

On the debris front, nine Corps quality control inspectors will join with members of the National Guard who have been working with Virginia state officials, local officials and private haulers to remove as speedily as possible household and municipal debris piled along street curbs.

The USACE specialists completed a weekend of disaster-specific training in Charleston before heading into the field.

On September 20 President Bush approved a request from Governor Bob Wise for a federal disaster declaration for the counties of Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel and Wirt. Shortly afterwards, eight more counties – Berkeley, Cabell, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason, Morgan and Wood – were added to the declaration.

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 29-Sep-2004 14:19:29