U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Education Center
Photo Credit:  Larry Workman and Save the Light, Inc.
Relevant, Ready, Responsive, Reliable
Please Note: You may have disabled JavaScript and/or CSS. Although this news content will be accessible, certain functionality is unavailable.
The Permit Process
Are you building something on your property?
Let's say you have a property where you would like to build something... Read More
Emergency Permit
Emergency Permit Procedures
Charleston District Regulatory Division recognizes that conditions... Read More
Morris Island Lighthouse
The Charleston District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
successfully completed the long term erosion control project... Read More
Charleston District Completes Lake Marion Water Treatment Plant
Charleston District Completes Lake Marion Water Treatment Plant
The first tap was turned at the Lake Marion Regional Water Treatment Plant on April 28... Read More
Folly Beach Named One of 2007's Top Restored Beaches
Folly Beach Named One of 2007's Top Restored Beaches
The (ASBPA) named the top seven restored beaches for 2007 .... Read More
Fallujah Street Lights
Fallujah harnessing the sun’s energy to light streets
With a marked decline in insurgent activity in recent months, Fallujah is on the road... Read More
Technical Services Partners with the Department of Energy
Technical Services Partners with the DoE
The Charleston Technical Services Division is partnering with the (DoE)... Read More

Charleston District's Emergency Management Division

Authorities

Public Law 84-99 establishes an emergency fund to be spent by the Chief of Engineers on activities related to floods, droughts, and other natural disasters. Some of these are pre-disaster actions, such as the disaster preparedness and some are post-disaster, which include:

  • flood fighting/response
  • post-flood response
  • rehabilitation; and
  • inspection of completed works.

Disaster preparedness is the basic funding source for the Charleston District's Emergency Management Division's day-to-day operations. Disaster preparedness includes planning for all types of natural or fabricated disasters.

Flood response may involve providing technical or direct assistance in support of an ongoing flood fight. This allows the Charleston District to send experts to consult with South Carolina State Representatives or County Representatives for impacted areas, send sandbags or pumps for flood fighting purposes; or provide emergency contracting services to strengthen or raise levees, etc. According to the Corps' policy (found in Engineering Regulation 500-1-1), this authority ceases to exist "when the flood waters recede back to bank full". Thus, pumps may be provided to fight rising waters, but may not be sent to dewater an already flooded area (i.e., where the damage has already been done).

Post-flood response activities that are authorized include clearing debris from drainage channels, water supply intakes, transportation routes, etc. Significantly, this authority exists only for a period of 10 days and only where there has been no Presidential disaster declaration.

Rehabilitation work generally entails making repairs to Flood Control Works (FCW) and Hurricane Shore Protection Projects (HSPP) damaged by floods or unusual wind or wave action. All federally constructed projects are automatically included within this authorization, and other publicly owned projects may be eligible for inclusion, but must be identified and inspected (Initial Eligibility Inspection - IEI) in advance of the disaster causing the damage. This authority requires the production of a report addressing, among other things, the costs and benefits or rehabilitation. Approval for rehabilitation of a FCW or HSSP comes from the Corps's South Atlantic Division. Federally constructed projects are repaired at a 100 percent federal share; non-federal projects in the program have an 80 percent federal share.

Inspection of Completed Works (ICW) entails periodic inspection of a FCW and HSPP to ensure that the projects are providing the designed level of protection (i.e., maintenance is being done to maintain the project as built).

Contact the "Emergency Management Division" in the Charleston District Office
843.329.8108 (Telephone)

Email point of contact for Charleston's Emergency Management Division

Mailing Address:
US Army Corps of Engineers
Emergency Management Division
69A Hagood Ave.
Charleston, South Carolina 29403-5107

 

Website technical issues or programming errors should be directed to the District Webmaster

Inquiries regarding content, media or press should be directed to the District Public Affairs Officer

Please read our Privacy & Security Notiice

Site last updated — January, 2009