Army Corps of Engineers helping FEMA

November 5, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
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A unit based at the Fort Hamilton Army Base in Bay Ridge is playing an important role in the post-Sandy cleanup and rebuilding effort in the tri-state area, according to officials.

The North Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on hurricane relief efforts.

The division is making steady progress in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, according to Col. Kent D. Savre, the commanding officer.

The division, which had teams on the ground even before Sandy made landfall, were able to respond immediately after the storm, Savre said.

The division’s post-Sandy duties include critical recovery missions such as debris removal, temporary roofing, distribution of emergency supplies, and installation of generators.

A priority mission is to support New York City’s efforts to pump water out of homes and public buildings, Savre said. The division deployed technical assistance, senior leadership oversight, and is working to identify, deploy, and operate pumps, he said.

At the request of FEMA, the division supplied the city with water pumps. Twelve eight inch pumps and 13 six inch pumps have been shipped from New Orleans to New York for the “dewatering” mission.

The division is also actively supporting an effort in New York and New Jersey to provide temporary electrical power to areas of the two states where electricity has not yet been restored. The division is ready with more than 300 generators staged at various locations to provide capacity beyond states’ capabilities, Savre said.

The division teams have been deployed to strategic locations in New York and New Jersey to install, operate and maintain generators at critical facilities.

In addition, the division is operating under FEMA’s authority on several projects involving the removal of debris from hurricane-stricken areas.

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