![]() ![]() On top of supporting FEMA-assigned missions throughout the region, the Corps’ New York and Philadelphia districts also carried out their own regular missions following the storm. I was proud to see my employees so energized and dedicated to work on the mission, even though their own families had damaged homes and no power.” “Even though our district was severely impacted, we maintained the ability to perform emergency operations and quickly established recovery field offices throughout the region. ![]() ![]() “Twenty employees from our district jump-started the initial operations,” said Col. The Army Corps plays a major role in disaster response with more than 40 specially trained response teams capable of providing a wide variety of public works and engineering related support.Īfter the hurricane, the Army Corps immediately had teams on the ground working around the clock to get things back to normal, families safely back in their homes and people back to work. The super storm's 95 mile-per-hour winds and record breaking storm surge flooded streets, subways and vehicular tunnels with salt water wreaking havoc on communities throughout the region, especially those in coastal areas creating major debris issues and knocking out power to millions of residents. Hurricane Sandy was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing severe damage across 24 states, hitting New York and New Jersey especially hard. The Army Corps has teamed with federal, state, city and regional agencies to unwater flooded areas, provide temporary power, remove debris and just as important provide an ear, a hand or a hug. Kathleen represents many of Sandy's victims and Balocki many of the hundreds of Army Corps personnel who deployed from around the nation to the New York-New Jersey metro area to take part in recovery missions assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "Her name was Kathleen and she told me she had lost everything to Hurricane Sandy and that she was grateful for everything we were doing to help her community and I was glad to be there to speak with her,” said Balocki who deployed to New York City as part of the Army Corps' Hurricane Sandy Recovery Mission. "She was wandering around mounds of debris along the waterfront at Breezy Point, New York, and the shock on her face was pretty powerful for me," said Jim Balocki, chief, Interagency and International Services, Headquarters, U.S. ![]()
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