Courtesy Photo | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Management personnel (foreground) take part in...... read more read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Atlantic Division spans one of the nation’s most densely populated and storm-prone regions, stretching from New England through the mid-Atlantic and overseas to Europe. Preparing for hurricanes in this environment requires constant coordination across federal, state, and local partners long before a storm makes landfall. With Hurricane Erin already on the radar this season, NAD’s Readiness and Contingency Operations team is leaning forward to ensure the region is ready to respond. In this Q&A, RCO Division Chief Mike Ganley discusses how USACE prepares for hurricane season, lessons from past storms, and what the public should keep in mind as we head deeper into hurricane season.
With a region highly susceptible to strong storms like hurricanes, how does the North Atlantic Division region prepare for hurricane season?
Ganley: To prepare for hurricane season, we follow a deliberate and continuous improvement process. After every disaster response, we conduct after-action reviews to capture challenges, lessons learned, and best practices. We use that feedback to refine our standard operating procedures and make our responses more efficient. Our response teams regularly meet with partners at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure our planning aligns with community needs and legal requirements. We also participate in exercises, like tabletop simulations, and accountability drills, to test readiness and strengthen coordination before a storm arrives. While hurricanes are a central focus, the North Atlantic Division’s mission is unique because we also support military operations and respond to civil emergencies under various authorities like the Stafford Act (support to FEMA), the Rivers and Harbors Act or Public Law 84-99. Our broad mission underscores the importance of consistent training, standardization of procedures, and incorporating lessons learned from previous responses to ensure we are ready when storms threaten.
With Hurricane Erin having recently formed, what steps is NAD taking to ensure both our teams and our partners are ready should the storm impact our region?
Ganley: Hurricane Erin is a good reminder of why we prepare early and deliberately. When a storm forms, our first step is to check the condition of our coastal storm risk management projects and make sure there are no activities underway that could compromise their integrity. For example, in the past we were able to identify utility work near one of our projects, and we would work with the local sponsor to quickly ensure it was secured before a storm hit. That coordination prevented potentially serious damage to the community. We also coordinate with our civil works teams to review the status of dams and levees that we own and operate, ensuring that water levels are within safe ranges. At the same time, we work closely with state partners on the Inspection of Completed Works Program for non-federal projects that we constructed and have turned over to local communities for routine operation and maintenance. All the while, we are in constant communication with our other federal partners, such as the Coast Guard, EPA, Departments of Energy, Transportation, Homeland Security and others, providing mutual support when needed.
Another key step we take as a storm approaches is protecting our navigation mission by safeguarding our floating plants (survey and drift removal vessels, located in major ports) and moving those assets to safe harbor when necessary, ensuring their integrity and availability to assist in reponing ports once a storm passes. In Hurricane Erin’s case, while we don’t expect a direct landfall in our region, we are monitoring potential excessive erosion risks at our costal storm risk reduction projects, which sometimes occurs due to aggressive wave action from the storm. When requested, we typically work with the state and their local communities to assist them with assessing the conditions of their federally constructed sacrificial dunes. Knowing their conditions is critical to effectively protecting potentially vulnerable communities along the coast.
How does USACE coordinate with FEMA, state emergency agencies, and local governments before a storm makes landfall?
Ganley: We provide support to FEMA through mission assignments requested by the state(s) on behalf of local governments through what are called “pre-scripted mission assignments.” These outline the common types of support we can provide before a storm. One of the primary missions is temporary emergency power to critical facilities like hospitals, shelters, or dialysis centers. This involves a coordinated effort: USACE manages the mission cell, contractors handle installation and maintenance, FEMA provides the generators, and the 249th Prime Power Battalion conducts on-site assessments to determine exact power needs. For example, if a school is being used as a shelter, our electrical experts from the 249th determine what areas need power and size the generator accordingly. The state identifies the priority facilities, FEMA supports with logistics, and we make sure the right equipment is installed and sustained until normal power is restored. It’s a four-part effort that ensures critical infrastructure stays operational when communities need it most.
What specific engineering or infrastructure support does USACE typically provide during and after hurricanes, and how does Public Law 84-99 come into play?
Ganley: Our hurricane support goes well beyond power restoration; if a state requests, FEMA can ask us to help with damaged critical facilities like water and wastewater plants, which are especially vulnerable to flooding. After storms, our engineers can conduct rapid infrastructure assessments to determine what facilities have been impacted, and we coordinate with partners like the National Guard on debris removal. While they clear the roadways, we can assist in collecting and disposing the debris. When that happens, we encourage communities to separate debris into categories, such as hazardous household waste (household pesticides, propane tanks, fuels, or common household cleaning products), woody material, construction debris, appliances, or spoiled foods, etc. By separating them, it can be cleared more quickly and efficiently. Another key mission is the Blue Roof program, where we install temporary roofing to help families return home quickly and reduce strain on shelters. If homes are destroyed, we work with FEMA on temporary housing solutions, though the goal is always to keep people in their communities whenever possible.
In addition to FEMA mission assignments, we also have authority under Public Law 84-99 to act at the request of a state when local capabilities are exceeded. Under this authority, we can provide technical assistance, flood-fighting materials like sandbags or barriers, and even advanced measures such as temporary bolster levees and flood walls. We also have a rehabilitation program that allows us to repair levees, dunes, and other projects we originally constructed if they are damaged in a storm and have been properly maintained by local sponsors. In rare cases, we can provide temporary water supplies if systems are compromised due to drought or contamination. The bottom line is that all these efforts are designed to protect people and property, and they are always only carried out at the request of and in close coordination with states.
What are some specific USACE NAD projects that are key to hurricane and storm preparedness in the region?
Ganley: When I think of key projects for hurricane and storm preparedness in our region, three categories come to mind. First are our coastal storm risk reduction projects, which stretch all along the eastern seaboard and serve as the first line of defense against hurricanes. These include major efforts in places like New Jersey, Delaware Bay, Virginia Beach, and Ocean City, Maryland, where repetitive storm losses have made these protections essential. Second are the hurricane barriers in New England, particularly along the Connecticut and Rhode Island coasts. These barriers can be closed during unusually high tides and storm surges, protecting harbors and preventing significant damage. Third are the dams and levees we own and operate, along with those we constructed and turned over to local sponsors. These structures exist because of the devastating history of flooding in certain communities, and they continue to prevent enormous losses today. Together, these projects reduce risk, protect lives and property, and allow us to prepare communities for the next storm.
Can you highlight any recent tabletop or full-scale exercises or real-world events that have helped sharpen NAD’s hurricane response readiness?
Ganley: Exercises and past storms have taught us that we must be prepared for the unexpected. Hurricane Sandy was a historic event for this region, and it showed that our ability to respond to unforeseen missions, like pumping out the Battery Tunnel, comes from the trust built on our track record. Hurricane Irene was another storm that highlighted the importance of inland flooding, especially in places like Vermont and New York. That experience helped us strengthen coordination with those states so they better understand what support we can provide. More recently, we’ve also learned from non-hurricane events, such as the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, where we applied a unified command structure that later proved valuable during a Potomac River response. Those experiences reinforced that every event sharpens our readiness for the next one, whether it’s coastal storm surge, river flooding, or infrastructure emergencies. By testing our systems in exercises and learning from real-world events, we make sure our hurricane preparedness is stronger each year.
How does NAD ensure timely and accurate communication during storm events?
Ganley: Communication is one of the biggest challenges we face, and it’s critical that we get it right both internally and externally. In Emergency Management, our role is often to coordinate resources across the organization and serve as the interface between what’s needed on the ground and what capabilities we can bring to bear. That means maintaining excellent communication with our partners as well as with every facet of USACE, whether it’s dam safety, levee safety, navigation, engineering, planning, real estate, contracting, or logistics. No-notice events like tornadoes or sudden infrastructure failures are especially challenging, but even in those situations, technology now allows us to make quicker, more informed decisions. We saw that during the Francis Scott Key Bridge response, where we were able to leverage new tools to prioritize effectively and respond faster. Ultimately, successful hurricane preparedness and response comes down to relationships and trust. We work hard to know the people and capabilities across our organization before a disaster hits, so that when a storm does arrive, we can act decisively and keep information flowing clearly.
What are the biggest challenges your team faces when preparing for and responding to hurricanes in such a diverse and densely populated region?
Ganley: What keeps me up at night is the combination of history and today’s population density. We know from past events like Hurricane Sandy, or even storms going back more than a century, that major flooding in places like Manhattan and Long Island is not unusual. The difference today is the complexity and density of the communities that now exist in those same areas. A storm like the Long Island Express in the 1930s, which was only a Category 2 but moved with such speed that its impacts resembled a much stronger storm, devastated Providence and Long Island when they were far less developed. If a storm of that type struck today, the number of people, the amount of infrastructure, and the sheer housing impact would make the response incredibly challenging. That’s the reality we must prepare for: historic storm patterns layered over modern population growth and urbanization. The good news is that these areas have learned lessons from these events and have constructed hurricane protection projects, built flood risk reduction dams, and adopted building codes that are more rigorous. These measures have made great strides in improving resiliency within these areas.
How does NAD ensure that personnel and resources are ready to deploy quickly when storms threaten multiple states at once?
Ganley: Ensuring that both people and resources are ready before a hurricane strike is one of our constant challenges. We invest heavily in training our response teams in advance, so when an event happens, they can step right into their roles. These are planned response teams, whether for debris, housing, roofing, or infrastructure assessment, and we align their assignments with their professional skill sets. The work is fast paced; what might take years in a traditional civil works project, we often accomplish in weeks during a disaster. Our job is to get resources and expertise to the communities that need them quickly, then transition to long-term recovery partners once the immediate crisis is stabilized. I often compare it to an emergency room; we stop the bleeding and provide temporary support so the community can recover. Over the longer term, resilience is built through programs like the Infrastructure Recovery Support Function, which works with communities and federal partners to deliver permanent solutions. At the end of the day, success often looks like nothing happened at all, because the systems worked, and people stayed safe.
As communities do their own preparation for Hurricane Season, what is your advice for members of the public?
Ganley: If I had one piece of advice for the public, it would be to listen closely to your local emergency management officials and take their warnings seriously. The hazards we’ve seen in the past are likely to happen again, so preparing in advance is critical. Everyone should be ready to take care of themselves and their families for at least 72 hours after a major storm, because it often takes that long for emergency organizations to be fully operational. Having food, water, and basic supplies on hand makes a huge difference in those first few days. And above all, put your own safety first—if you’re hurt, you can’t help anyone else. Being prepared and heeding warnings saves lives.
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.19.2025 11:58 |
| Story ID: | 545953 |
| Location: | BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Prepared for the storm: North Atlantic Division’s readiness during hurricane season, by Joshua Voda, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
