8 Jan 2018

Alaska District employee remains dedicated to hurricane recovery in Puerto Rico

Over the past four months, Jim DeGraff spent just two weeks at home in Alaska. The rest of the time, he was in disaster areas, working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to help the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria.

8 Jan 2018

USACE supports marine debris removal in Puerto Rico (video)

In coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is executing a marine debris mission at the Puerto Del Rey marina in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. This is the second marine debris mission to take place in the aftermath of hurricane Maria, with the first taking place before Christmas to remove the wrecks which were a threat to both the environment and navigation.

5 Jan 2018

USACE works to clear hurricane debris on island of Vieques

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers debris management operation is now underway on Vieques, an island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. Contract crews are working to clear debris left in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

5 Jan 2018

USACE beginning repairs on critical facilities in Puerto Rico (video)

The Critical Public Facilities mission, or CPF, is one of four efforts undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Recovery Field Office in Puerto Rico. Recently, the mission has transitioned from assessing damage on critical facilities around the island to awarding contracts to conduct repairs on more than 80 buildings in the aftermath of hurricane Maria.

5 Jan 2018

USACE Quality Assurance checks help keep temporary emergency generators running strong in Puerto Rico

Shelby Deal leans over a generator hooked up to a water pump station on the side of a twisting mountain road in central Puerto Rico. He notes the generator’s barcode and transponder number, inspects its oil and fuel filters, checks the fuel gauge, and records the number of hours the generator has operated. Finally, he assesses the surrounding area to make sure the grounding wire is properly flagged, the generator is level and no wires present a tripping hazard.

1 Jan 2018

USACE Blue Roof mission progresses across Puerto Rico as installation rate increases

With the new year fast approaching, Quality Assurance specialist Andrew Lorenz was busy visiting Operation Blue Roof installation sites in neighborhoods across Mayagüez, a city of 80,000 people on Puerto Rico's west coast. Here and across Puerto Rico, the effort to provide residents with the temporary blue roofs has gained steam, with nearly 4,000 installations occurring island-wide each of the past two weeks.

30 Dec 2017

USACE personnel come to the aid of injured Puerto Rican

“Then I heard a faint call for help,” said Richard Cusimano, who spends his days here as a quality assurance inspector in at the Canovanas, Fajardo, Loiza, Rio Grande and Luquillo debris collection sites. “Then the calls got more assertive.”

29 Dec 2017

Generator repair mission helps power Puerto Rico's critical water, sewage infrastructure

Inside a small concrete pump station by the side of a freeway, a Quality Assurance team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a crew of government contractors labor over a large orange generator. The station is part of a complex flood control system that helps keep San Juan and neighboring towns dry. It is just one of hundreds of sites Corps teams are visiting as part of a unique mission to repair local generators and keep critical infrastructure functioning in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

28 Dec 2017

Work continues through the holidays to restore power to Cidra residents

Residents and businesses of Cidra are poised to get their electricity back online, thanks to the continued mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Task Force Power Restoration team through the holidays.

28 Dec 2017

USACE Blue Roof mission in Puerto Rico is a family affair

Omar Esquilin-Mangual, from Caguas, Puerto Rico, was born, raised and educated on the island before working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2010 after receiving his master's degree in civil engineering degree from the University of Puerto Rico.

19 Dec 2017

USACE's Operation Blue Roof hitting its stride

Shortly after hurricane Maria left a trail of devastation across the island in late September, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began its work under the direction of FEMA to assist in a variety of missions in support of the residents of Puerto Rico.

17 Dec 2017

USACE Installs Micro Grid to Bring Power to Homes Near Patillas (video)

Power is coming to the residents of Patillas, Puerto Rico. Through the innovation of a micro grid, residences and businesses will have power 24 hours a day for the first time since hurricane Maria devastated the power grid here.

6 Dec 2017

USACE members experience a different type of homecoming, Part 5

José Sánchez currently serves as the director of PR Grid Restoration Program. He is the director of the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi and recently had a temporary assignment as the USACE Director of Contingency Operations and Homeland Security in Washington, D.C.

4 Dec 2017

USACE members experience a different type of homecoming, Part 4

Sharon Garay Rodríguez is the deputy director for the Puerto Rico Power Grid Restoration Program. Her office is a work station in a USACE emergency command and control vehicle parked at the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority headquarters building in San Juan.

4 Dec 2017

Guajataca Dam update on repairs (video)

More than two-and-a-half months ago, damage to the Guajataca Dam near Isabella, Puerto Rico, threatened the life, property and water supply for thousands of residents downstream Rio Guajataca. Due to heavy rainfall during hurricane Maria, Guajataca Lake surged full and overwhelmed the spillway, requiring a joint effort to conduct emergency repairs.

2 Dec 2017

USACE members experience a different type of homecoming, Part 3

Greg Aponte is a civil engineer and planner from New York District, where he works on coastal engineering, beach nourishment and riverine watershed studies. He leads a cadre of 25 inspectors who visit hurricane-damaged homes to determine their eligibility for temporary roofing.

2 Dec 2017

US Army Corps of Engineers completes 1,131 school assessments in Puerto Rico

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Infrastructure Assessment team inspected the last school Nov. 27. Their mission was to assist in evaluating the damage Hurricane Maria did to schools across the island.

2 Dec 2017

USACE undergoes a first by installing micro grid in Culebra (video)

On the island of Culebra, due east of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ temporary emergency power team is tapping into a new way to bring electricity to the people.

29 Nov 2017

USACE members experience a different type of homecoming, Part 2

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Homecoming is an American fall tradition, full of festivities, excitement and reunions. For several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees originally from Puerto Rico, homecoming has been a different experience this year.

29 Nov 2017

USACE members experience a different type of homecoming, Part 1

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Homecoming is an American fall tradition, full of festivities, excitement and reunions. For several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees originally from Puerto Rico, homecoming has been a different experience this year.