SIR!

The Louisiana Recovery Field Office mission ended on 9/30/2007 when our FEMA authorities expired.  We are no longer adding stories to our archives, but we invite you to enjoy these representations of an unparalleled team working an unprecedented disaster. 


Safety

• Pool hazards left after Corps demolitions filled under FEMA program  

• Getting the RFO ready to perform or transition after The Next Storm 

• ECC shares award with RFO for "setting high bar" 

• Park Service expert brings wit, wisdom and safety to Orleans mission 

• P&J, ECC nail down remarkable safety records in Corps/FEMA Mission

• Great safety record comes from risk management and "clones"

• Soldier’s training pays off in life-or-death French Quarter encounter

• Handling asbestos is a crucial aspect of demo safety

• Humanitarian Awards go to trained lifesavers for heat stroke response

• There is a "catch" to truck and trailer safety

• Removing the dead tree threat, one tree at a time

• Taking care of teams sometimes takes security team to hot areas

Integrity & Leadership

• Dynamic Duo manages the ins and outs of staff rotation

• For Indiana native, response is about "Doing A Hard Job Right" 

• Response learning helps auditors "write the book" on disasters 

• Raphelt: "Big" does not describe Katrina destruction and challenges 

• In a disaster, the heart of a mentor, matriarch and mom surfaces 

• Noted newspaperman works to craft picture of recovery/team 

• Arthur Martin returns to classroom with Doctor of Debris experience 

• Tet Vet, USACE Regulatory Chief, disaster expert leads RFO

• Beneath the face of the LA-RFO leader and director

• Squeezing the "load ticket" enhances recovery integrity

• Demo team works the process to get the right house

• Retiring LA-RFO Commander honors to those in service to Louisiana

• People inspire Contracting Chief Todd to be ‘mission consumed’

• Katrina another battlefield experience for VFW combat vet  

• Internal Review: Protecting the Corps reputation as honest broker

• The "tower cats" role in managing the cost of the mission 

• Dragnet-tagged 1st Sergeant lives up to her enlightening name   

• LA-RFO contractor team wins company award for Katrina-Rita emergency 

• RFO contracting chief, claims Ida Ustad Award for Excellence 

Respect

• Family, staying busy keeps victim-worker sane, stable

• Bundy Project demolition reminds workers of their homes 

• A Corps disaster tool box should not leave out a box of tissues 

• One small crystal ball that touched the heart of a victim 

• Kevin Blair: From big-time Iraq duty to Jefferson Sector ambassador

• Liaison Jack Hourguettes recalls brightest, bleakest Katrina moments  

• Working the schedule so artist Horisaki can produce a work of art 

• Corps team helps Iwo Jima vet gain closure in the ruins 

• Debris team helps returned treasured flag to widow

• Orleans will be 10 times better, because "good comes from bad" 

• In Lower 9th Ward, actions speak louder than rumors

• Demolish or rebuild? Process, victims say, will ‘wear you out’

• Recovery Soldiers seek to pay tribute to Soldiers' unmarked graves

• Storm victim rose above trauma to help lead debris mission  

• Demolition team takes time to save time-cherished mementoes  

• Real estate team helps Orleans locate owners before demolitions 

• Shonda Collins leaves multiple Orleans missions to go on her lifelong "mission" 

• Angie McClellan brings respect for victims in managing claims

Results

• Information Management doesn't know IMpossible

• Logistics team's work is moving, serene, chaos

• FEMA tags Corps with mission to inspect trailer upkeep

• Katrina mission estimators use models for a fast response

• St. Bernard Parish canal cleanout mucky, but crucial

• GIS Team gets their directions from Outer Space 

• Debris, damage models rightly predict the mission 

• Gigantic accomplishments by people of colossal character 

• Veteran contract specialist finds a way to speed the saws

• Special Skills: "Dirty Dozens" Provides Expertise and Muscle

• Corps/Navy help build critical Mortuary Facility for Katrina/Rita/future storms

• Ecole Bilingue, Dozier reopening returns normalcy to community, kids

• Debris teams open door to recovery for Holly Beach

• Cameron Parish celebrates Maintenance Barn completion

• USDA volunteers join Corps in FEMA recovery mission

• Dozier School Emergency Replacement Engages Community

• FEMA/Corps Facilities Help New Orleans Rapid Transit Back To Its Feet

• "Overwhelming Cooperation and Coordination" Open Belle Chase Schools

• Helping volunteers stay on track means 3,000 homes ready for repair 

Environment & Preservation

• Saving the historic features of the Crescent City 

• 250,000 tires picked up, head for recyclers

• Corps assumes control of hazardous household waste program

• Household waste facility takes hazard out of over 5 million pieces