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  • August

    FIRST DEPLOYMENT STORIES: The Volunteer Spirit

    The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) was devastated by back-to-back Category 5 storms, Super Typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi, prompting a rapid joint response from FEMA, the Red Cross, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Operating from the Recovery Field Office, USACE volunteer project engineer, Sarah L. Rhoton, managed critical personnel logistics and helped assess damaged power and school infrastructure on Tinian island. Throughout the extensive rebuilding process, the local CNMI residents deeply moved responders with their remarkable positivity, hospitality, and resilience despite enduring severe destruction and power outages.

  • April

    One of the 500 properties in Maui which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleared of wildfire debris by April 2. There were approximately 1,600 properties impacted by the wildfires Aug. 8, 2023. Once a property is cleared of debris, USACE staff will then test the soil to ensure it is safe. Once safe and erosion control installed, USACE staff notify County of Maui that the property is complete and ready to begin the rebuilding process. (Photo by John Daves)

    USACE reaches milestone in Hawai‘i wildfire debris removal mission

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleared debris from the 500th residential property within Lahaina, Hawai’i, April 2.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Recovery Field Office Commander Col. Eric Swenson is joined by parents, community members and passersby to welcome back students as they were dropped off for their first day of school at the new King Kamehameha III Elementary School temporary campus installed by USACE. Swenson waved at smiling kids and parents thrilled to get to this milestone in the recovery process.

    April 1st a day for Lahaina’s young scholars to remember

    April 1, 2024 marks the first day that King Kamehameha III Elementary School students attend classes at the temporary replacement campus. The Lahaina school, damaged beyond repair in the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, became an important project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After receiving a critical public facilities mission assignment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, USACE handled the $78 million elementary school installation, subcontracting Pono Aina Management, a Native Hawaiian organization.

  • March

    A Hawaiian dedication ceremony, which included pū and ‘oli, for the temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School led by cultural practitioner Kaniala Masoe of Maui. (USACE photo by Makenzie Leonard)

    Temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School Campus Dedicated March 25

    A blessing and dedication ceremony was hosted March 25, by the Hawaii Department of Education with federal, state and local partners coming together to celebrate the opening of a temporary replacement campus for the King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which was damaged beyond repair in the Aug. 8, 2024, Lahaina wildfires.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors remove a submarine during vessel debris removal operations near the harbor in Lahaina, Hawai‘i, Feb. 18, 2024. The submarine was one of the fleet of commercial tourist submarines for citizens and tourists to view marine life around Maui. To ensure debris removal operations are conducted safely, there is significant coordination and safety planning between USACE and the contractor performing the work. USACE is overseeing the debris removal mission under a FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency mission assignment, which is part of a coordinated effort with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the County of Maui and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to clean up areas of the island affected by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires. (USACE Photo by Robert DeDeaux)

    USACE completes vessel debris removal operations, reaches major milestone

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers debris removal mission on Maui reached an important milestone on March 15. Under the management and supervision of USACE, contractors completed the removal of vessel debris from 80 fire-damaged vessels received from the U.S. Coast Guard.

  • February

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is pleased to announce the successful installation and turnover of the temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina to the Hawai‘i State Department of Education Feb. 27. In collaboration with FEMA and the State of Hawai‘i, USACE embarked on a mission to design and oversee the installation of this critical educational facility following the devastating wildfires of Aug. 8, 2023, which displaced approximately 600 elementary school students from their original Lahaina school.

    USACE Transfers Lahaina Temporary Elementary School to Hawaii State Department of Education

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is pleased to announce the successful installation and turnover of the temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina to the Hawai‘i State Department of Education Feb. 27. In collaboration with FEMA and the State of Hawai‘i, USACE embarked on a mission to design and oversee the installation of this critical educational facility following the devastating wildfires of Aug. 8, 2023, which displaced approximately 600 elementary school students from their original Lahaina school.

  • January

    Kelvin Chan, a structural engineer from the Technical Center of Expertise for the Preservation of Historic Structures, takes notes about structural characteristics historic building in the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District on Maui, Jan. 21. Chan is one of three members of a team of specialists from the Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who were assisting the Hawaii Wildfires Recovery Mission on a Federal Emergency Management Agency mission assigned task order. The team was not required to wear the hoodies of their protective suits because of the low risk of contact with ash or debris while evaluating structures and buildings. The buildings were damaged in the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires on Maui.

    Historic building specialists visit Lahaina National Historic Landmark District, survey structures impacted by Hawaiʻi Wildfires

    A specialized team consisting of a structural engineer, historical architect and historian assisted the Hawaiʻi Wildfires Mission by assessing structures in or adjacent to the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District on Maui, Jan. 17-21.

  • December

    Recovery Field Office members conduct a Rehearsal of Concept for Phase 2 of the Lahaina wildfire mission. The RFO serves as a mini district and an extension of the affected district. Operations, mission management, logistics, public affairs, internal review, and others operate and are housed in the RFO.

    JFO, RFO, EFO one mission; one Ohana – USACE employees deploy to assist Maui recovery from the wildfires

    When fire ravished the historic towns of Lahaina and Kula, Hawai’i, on the island of Maui in August 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was one of the first agencies on the site to assist the people in recovering from the devasting effects of the deadliest United States wildfire in more than 100 years.

  • November

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers CIO/G6 Enterprise Emergency Response Team member Dale Carton installs a Wi-Fi router in a construction trailer at the site where a temporary elementary school is being built.

    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.

  • September

    Two men in safety gear inspect an industrial power generator with the FEMA logo on it

    USACE power mission continues long after the lights come back on

    After devastating wildfires left communities across Maui without electricity, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Temporary Power Team arrived on the island to begin the important work of restoring power to critical facilities.