News

  • November

    Soil sample collection begins in Hawaiʻi Wildfire debris removal mission

    The first soil samples were collected at a property site cleared of debris by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Kula, marking a milestone with the Hawaiʻi Wildfires Debris Mission, Nov. 18, 2023. If the samples come back below the Hawaiʻi Department of Health cleanup goals, the property owner can proceed with their rebuilding effort. This comes a little more than three months after devastating wildfires fueled by high winds and dry conditions swept across Kula and Lahaina, Maui, Aug. 8, 2023. The sampling will continue across Kula as more impacted sites are cleared.
  • USACE progressing on temporary school in Lahaina

    The wind-driven wildfires that devastated Maui left elementary students in the historic town of Lahaina without an elementary school. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers went into action after receiving a mission assignment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sept. 13 to design and oversee the installation of modular buildings for the temporary elementary school in Lahaina.
  • USACE prepares site for temporary elementary school in Lahaina

    Site work recently began for the installation of a temporary elementary school in Lahaina, Maui, to replace one lost in the Aug. 8, 2023, Hawaiʻi Wildfires.
  • USACE temporary housing team lays groundwork for those displaced by Maui wildfires

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received a $1.9 million Federal Emergency Management Agency mission assignment Oct. 28 to provide conceptual design for temporary housing sites. Once a design is approved, USACE will prepare the sites for FEMA to install the units. The units will house those displaced by the Aug. 8 wildfires that destroyed more than 2,000 properties on Maui.
  • Federal partners team up for Hawai‘i wildfires cleanup

    Disasters are multi dynamic, fluid events that evolve rapidly. Given the fast-paced nature of disasters, a comprehensive disaster response requires teamwork. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency often collaborate on various environmental and regulatory matters in the United States.
  • October

    Paws for comfort

    To help employees overcome some of the challenges associated with disaster events, USACE deploys the Critical Incident Stress Management program. CISM is a peer-driven stress management program that combines pre-crisis preparation, stress education and post-event response to help people recover more quickly from abnormally stressful job-related incidents.
  • Battle captains help navigate RFO through disaster recovery operations in Maui

    A Recovery Field Office is a vital element of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ operations during Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery missions. A management function of an RFO consists of a group of active-duty Soldiers, dubbed battle captains. Battle captains are a vital component of USACE’s disaster deployment response. A battle captain's primary tasks are to receive, track and distribute information to the team as well as advise the RFO commander, RFO personnel, and USACE leadership on current mission objectives.
  • Enterprise Emergency Response Team, keeping team members connected

    During disaster recovery, technology is foundational for a mission’s success. Ensuring U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ employees have access to the tools they need to accomplish tasks while deployed, is a team of IT professionals working quietly behind the scenes.
  • Cultural awareness at forefront of historic Hawai‘i wildfires recovery mission

    USACE has contracted a Cultural Hui (team) of community leaders and cultural practitioners, architects and archaeology professionals to ensure the culturally appropriate execution of the USACE debris removal mission.
  • Infrastructure Systems cadre partners with communities for the long haul

    The Infrastructure Systems Recovery Support Function is led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and has begun working with Maui County and its partners in the aftermath of the Hawai'i wildfires.