News Release
| Release Number: | 98-081 |
| Dated: | 9/26/1998 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- Twelve men and women from the Portland area are leaving Sunday afternoon and flying into the eye of a storm.
Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Portland District are flying to Houston to be pre-positioned for the clean-up efforts that surely will follow the passing of Hurricane Georges through Louisiana early Monday.
The Corps has been assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist the state of Louisiana in removing debris from roadways, waterways and any other locations the State feels is necessary. The Corps will manage contracts with private companies that will perform the debris removal and disposal work.
The professional members of the Corps' "debris team" range in specialties from contract and real estate administration to construction and emergency management operations.
The Portland team has been on stand-by for four days, receiving the call Saturday morning. They expect to be in the Gulf area for about 30 days.
Part of the Corps' mission is to assist FEMA during disaster response and recovery operations in the public works and engineering arenas. As such, this isn't the first time Corps employees from Portland have responded to natural disasters in other portions of the United States. The following is a re-cap of events the Corps has responded to in the past 10 years: Loma Prieta Earthquake (San Francisco) -1989; Guam - 1989; Hurricane Hugo - 1989; Hurricane Andrew - 1992; Midwest floods - 1993; Northridge Earthquake - 1994; and Hurricane Marilyn - 1996. -30-
Editor's note: The twelve Corps employees will leave from Portland International Airport at 2:55 p.m. on Continental Airlines flight 1108 to Houston, Texas.