News Release
| Release Number: | 98-083 |
| Dated: | 10/1/1998 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. - The eleven members from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent to Louisiana to help clean up after Hurricane Georges have been reassigned to Puerto Rico.
Federal Emergency Management Agency and Corps officials agreed the needs were greater in Puerto Rico and redirected the Portland team to assist in recovery efforts on the island.
Despite the move, the team's mission remains the same: to help coordinate and oversee clean-up efforts. The team will work closely with private companies hired to remove debris caused by the hurricane.
The team should arrive in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday, Oct. 2. Once there, they will join forces with teams from other Corps offices from around the country.
In addition to the eleven members who left Portland Sunday, Corps Safety Officer Tom Must left Portland Wednesday morning for Puerto Rico. He will support the Corps safety and occupational health mission during the clean-up effort.
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. Events the Corps has responded to during the past 10 years include: Loma Prieta Earthquake (San Francisco) -1989; Guam - 1989; Hurricane Hugo - 1989; Hurricane Andrew - 1992; Midwest floods - 1993; Northridge Earthquake - 1994; and Hurricane Marilyn - 1996.
About 750 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civilian and military members are committed to relief operations in Puerto Rico and the Southeastern U.S. following Hurricane Georges.
Corps planning and response teams are coordinating relief missions, including ice and drinking water, temporary roofing, emergency power generation, and damage surveys. In addition to missions from FEMA, the Corps of Engineers is positioning supplies and equipment in anticipation of flooding from heavy rains associated with the hurricane.