Throughout the Midwest today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working with state and local levee districts, emergency responders, elected officials and other federal agencies to coordinate flood fighting activities. Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa are among the hardest hit right now, and Missouri and Nebraska are on alert.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people who live in the affected areas, and with our teammates, who are once again on the scene when the Nation needs us.

Extreme flooding in Indiana

As of today (June 12, 2008), a total of 1,676,700 sandbags and 79 pumps have been issued to support state requests for assistance. There are currently 152 of our dedicated employees engaged in the response effort, and I expect more are on their way.

We are also supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s efforts, by providing technical assistance for dam inspections and debris. In addition, we’re providing engineering and environmental expertise to FEMA’s housing planning team – which is an interagency group that works with the state to identify what housing options are available to meet the needs of that specific area.

In Iowa, we’ve really taken on a new and unique role when it comes to commodities, like tarps, drinking water or ready to eat meals. We’re helping state and local officials build their capabilities when it comes to ordering, delivering and distributing those goods. We’re coordinating with the state and local governments to provide temporary power to critical public facilities in Iowa, as well.

We’ve got a deep bench of seasoned pros who are already on this, and people coming out of the woodwork volunteering to help. I’m so proud to be a part of this team.

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A few months ago, my friend Bo Temple, Deputy Commanding General for Military and International Operations, blogged about some of his experiences as he visited some of our military construction sites around the world. Well, I just got some updated information about our massive military construction efforts and I wanted to share the latest.

 

This is some of the new family housing in Korea

We are facing the largest military construction workload since World War II.  Between fiscal years 2008 and 2013, we will manage an Army military construction program totaling an estimated $39 billion. That is peaking right now, in 2008 and 2009, at about $10 billion per year, as we meet the intense demand brought about by Army transformation, global restationing and base realignment and closure.

 

Some of the accomplishments we’ll see from this include: 47 child development centers, accommodating nearly 9,500 children; 112 Armed Forces Reserve Centers or Army Reserve Centers; approximately 38,100 permanent barracks spaces and more than 66,500 training barracks spaces; over 1,200 Family housing units; 13 Brigade Combat Team complexes; and nearly 120 range facilities. 

And this is the inside view...

This program is spread out all around the world. In the southwest at Fort Bliss, we’re delivering a building per week for the next five years. In the Pacific region, the Corps will continue the massive construction underway in Korea with Camp Humphreys planned as the new home of the U.S. Forces Korea in 2012.  Meanwhile, in Japan, massive construction efforts include airfields, operational facilities and housing to support a major realignment of bilateral forces in both mainland Japan and Okinawa.

The bottom line with our military construction mission is that we must ensure the Soldiers and their Families have facilities commensurate to the quality of their selfless service to the Nation, and I am proud that the Corps is a part of it!

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