Hurricane-response mission finds new home in Portland

Photo By Kerry Solan | Volunteers with Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers learn to process calls at the district’s headquarters in downtown Portland Sept. 28 as they prepare to staff a Corps-run call center to help homeowners affected by hurricane damage. The Portland District headquarters is the new, permanent home for the Corps’ Operation Blue Roof call center. Operation Blue Roof, managed by the Corps on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, provides a free installation of a fiber-reinforced sheeting to cover hurricane-damaged roofs until homeowners can arrange permanent repairs. The call center is expected to be ready as early as Oct. 1. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Kerry Solan)  

PORTLAND, OR, UNITED STATES

09.29.2022

Story by Kerry Solan 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District

As Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida Sept. 28, more than a dozen employees with the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepared for a new mission: taking calls from those affected by the natural disaster.
The employees are standing up a call center that will link Florida homeowners with the Operation Blue Roof mission. Operation Blue Roof, managed by USACE on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, provides a free installation of a fiber-reinforced sheeting to cover hurricane-damaged roofs until homeowners can arrange permanent repairs.
USACE's Portland District headquarters in downtown Portland is the new, permanent home for the Operation Blue Roof call center. Previously, Operation Blue Roof call centers, which operate for about 30 days, were typically established in the same state where officials declared a disaster following a hurricane. Officials decided to re-home the call center to avoid losing critical resources, like hotel rooms and rental cars, to out-of-state volunteers flown in to assist.
Approximately 25 USACE volunteers will support the call center, which responds to thousands of calls a day. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, the Operation Blue Roof Call center received a peak call volume of 16,772 calls a day.
Lance Lindsay, the Portland District Readiness Section chief, will help oversee the call center, which will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We anticipate a month of hard effort in response to Hurricane Ian,” Lindsay said.
Before the center opens for operations, the trained volunteers will test functionality levels with a “load test” Sept. 30 as test callers navigate the message system and are then routed to an employee at the call center. The center is one of three ways homeowners can sign up for the service; the other two methods are in-person at designated locations and online.
Officials expect the call center to be ready as early as Oct. 1. But the center can only accept calls following an initial damage assessment, a governor’s request for assistance and an Operation Blue Roof mission assignment from FEMA.
For now, the employees are being trained to take calls.
Sam Lynch, who works for the Channels and Harbors Section in the Portland District, volunteered to work in the call center.
“I’m from Florida, so I was interested in helping out,” she said. “It’s a way to be involved without needing to travel.”
As part of the Operation Blue Roof, USACE works with local contractors to install the temporary roofs, which protect property, reduce temporary housing costs and allow residents to remain in their homes while recovering from a storm. After Hurricane Ida, Operation Blue Roof contractors installed 33,600 temporary roofs in Louisiana.
“We’re honored to play a role in supporting communities in Florida as they work to recover in the days and weeks ahead,” said Col. Mike Helton, Portland District commander. “This is what being a civil servant is about: working for the people.”

• Date Taken: 09.29.2022
• Date Posted: 09.29.2022 16:57
• Story ID: 430422
• Location: PORTLAND, OR, US