St. Paul District team supports Hurricane Ida recovery efforts

Photo By Patrick Moes | Brittanie Corley, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, economist currently deployed to New Orleans, Louisiana, in support of Hurricane Ida recovery efforts, looks at infrastructure during a site inspection in Edgard, Louisiana, Oct. 3. Corley is a part of the USACE housing team currently deployed to Louisiana to support recovery efforts following damages caused by the hurricane’s landfall Aug. 29. The team is gathering technical information to determine the feasibility of placing temporary housing units at various locations to help survivors recover. The housing team gathers the necessary information and provides it to FEMA so they can make informed decisions on the best path forward.  

NEW ORLEANS, LA, UNITED STATES

10.04.2021

Story by Patrick Moes 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District

Teamwork has taken on a special meaning for a group of employees from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, currently deployed in support of Hurricane Ida recovery efforts in Louisiana.

Following Hurricane Ida's landfall Aug. 29 and after area emergency officials had a chance to understand the size and scale of the Category 4 hurricane, the St. Paul District's housing project recovery team, or PRT, received a call to support the ongoing Louisiana recovery efforts. The team departed St. Paul, Minnesota, Sept. 21, and has been feverously working ever since. Andrew Huffman, the team’s leader, said the 16-person team's office is different from their normal conditions, but he said they've adapted to the change.

Huffman said temporary housing missions can be wide ranging, requiring the team to be flexible and ready to change course at a moment’s notice. The team’s primary mission is to gather the technical information needed to ensure a prefabricated unit can safely be placed on private property or at an existing commercial mobile home park.

Under the National Response Framework, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Temporary Housing team assists the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency by providing technical assistance, engineering expertise, and construction management to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and/or recover from domestic incidents.

Huffman said the district’s team is currently performing site assessment reports in several Parishes in Southeast Louisiana. Once created, the reports are sent to FEMA to help them determine whether a location is feasible for the placement of a temporary housing unit. From there, Huffman said a determination is made whether eligible survivors can receive a temporary housing unit on either their private property or if they are eligible for shelter within a qualified commercial park.

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• Date Taken: 10.04.2021
• Date Posted: 10.04.2021 19:41
• Story ID: 406695
• Location: NEW ORLEANS, LA, US