Federal Emergency Management Agency Requests Corps Assistance

By Kavanaugh Breazeale, USACENovember 13, 2012

Vicksburg District HQ
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Vicksburg, Miss……. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has tasked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assist with the disaster relief mission underway in the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Three Vicksburg District employees, Jasper Lummus, Greg Williams and Lamar Jenkins are onsite serving as subject matter experts for debris removal efforts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Colt Neck, New Jersey.

Jasper Lummus and Greg Williams work in the Vicksburg District River Engineering and Design Branch while Lamar Jenkins is the Deputy Engineer in the Vicksburg District Greenwood Area Office. These team members have extensive expertise in disaster recovery efforts with previous missions in Joplin, Missouri; Smithville, Mississippi; and Hurricane Katrina.

Also tasked with the Hurricane Sandy recovery mission is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Dewatering Team. This team is being led by Alvin Lee from the Mississippi Valley Division. The Mississippi Valley Division established the Dewatering Task Force in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to remove trapped or contained floodwaters from flood affected areas. This team consists of Corps civilian professionals with expertise in civil, electrical, mechanical and hydraulic engineering, contracting, emergency management and public affairs. The mission of the Task Force is to remove water from the subways and low areas in New York City and New Jersey and set the conditions for traditional recovery operations.

The Mississippi Valley Division and the Vicksburg District serve the nation by providing emergency response to natural disasters and emergency support to other agencies, particularly the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Vicksburg District has the responsibility for providing federal debris removal expertise in the State of Mississippi, or any location, when tasked by Headquarters, USACE and for providing technical expertise in examining and offering engineer solutions for problems with critical infrastructure. To learn more about the Vicksburg District, visit our website. http://www.mvk.usace.army.mil