District engineers lend a hand in the wake of deadly tornadoes

Photo By Andrew Stamer | Joe Potter sits with his mother, Kate Potter, in front of what is left of her home in Springfield, Mass., on June 2, the morning after a tornado is believed to have gone through the area. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerry Saslav)  

SPRINGFIELD, MA, UNITED STATES

06.01.2011

Courtesy Story

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District

Story by: Ann Marie R. Harvie

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - In the aftermath of the destruction caused by two killer tornadoes in western and central Massachusetts, New England District emergency response team members quickly made their way to the FEMA Regional Response and Coordination Center in Maynard, Mass., and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s bunker in Framingham to represent the Army Corps of Engineers and coordinate any federal engineer response in the wake of a rash of thunderstorms that ignited the deadly tornadoes, June 1.

As the storm cluster shifted east, teams of urban search and rescue personnel were dispatched into the tornado zone. At 7 p.m., Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick declared a State of Emergency and activated 1,000 National Guard troops while the first responders began the initial assessments of the damages within the deadly swath of destruction. The severe weather left four people dead, widespread power outages and extensive property damage.

New England District first responders Mark Anderson, assigned to the FEMA RRCC, and Thom Davidson to the Commonwealth’s Emergency Operations Center in Framingham, represented the Corps under the Emergency Support Function 3 (Civil Works).
Both stood by to ensure the seamless coordination of Army Corps of Engineers support and assistance as required and requested.

Out at our project offices, Park Manager Keith Beecher made the boat ramps at East Brimfield Lake available to state and local emergency management for tree removal and relief effort staging; East Brimfield Lake and Long Pond are closed to recreational boating until partially submerged debris can be removed. Buffumville Lake/Hodges Village Dam Project Manager Tim Russell performed an assessment of debris in the lake by boat. Park Ranger Tom Chamberland, who is also the Tree Warden for the town of Sturbridge, took leave to coordinate tree removal work for the town. Robert Casoli, New England District, Maria Delatore and Louis "Jim" Dash, Baltimore District, and Joe Hollshwander, Baltimore District performed Debris Estimating in Western Mass. Larry Rosenberg provided communications support to both MEMA and FEMA.

The New England District Team quickly accounted for each and every employee and reported them all safe, according to the New England District Emergency Operations Center. There was no property damage to any of the District’s projects.

• Date Taken: 06.01.2011
• Date Posted: 06.17.2011 14:47
• Story ID: 72278
• Location: SPRINGFIELD, MA, US