New Orleans Corps employees join team draining Sandy floodwater from New York

[Sgent]

Source: New Orleans Times-Picayune

The Corps of Engineers' route to draining of New York City's floodwaters after Hurricane Sandy runs through New Orleans. Personnel and equipment used to help "unwater'' the metro area after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Isaac are headed to the Big Apple.

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Mark Gonsky, chief of the New Orleans district's structures branch, and Kevin Wagner, a senior project manager who helped lead the removal of water from New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, flew to New York Wednesday to join the multi-district task force, said Mike Stack, chief of emergency management in the New Orleans district. Two public information specialists from New Orleans accompanied them.

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Stack said the unwatering team had a head start in New Orleans, through the development of an outline before Hurricane Katrina that identified where existing pumps were located, what machinery and electrical equipment in the pumping stations might need to be replaced, and the best locations for placing the temporary pumps that were used to drain the city.

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The team will share the lessons learned from their New Orleans experiences with New York City and state officials and representatives of other federal agencies, as they address the best ways of removing millions of gallons of seawater pushed into Manhattan and other New York City boroughs by Sandy's storm surge, Stack said.



Read more: http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2012/10/new_orleans_corps_employees_jo.html

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People in NOLA are thinking of everyone in Sandy's path. Good luck and keep safe.

[awake]

1. As they say "it takes a village"

[hedgehog]

2. See, according to Mitt, New york and Loiusiana ( as well as the other 48 states)

should have their own individual teams on stand-by for these situations!

[Sgent]

4. Yea, I don't get this at all

Southern Louisiana has a major water event every 2-3 years, but when we had a swamp fire that endangered people, we got help from Colorado.

Memphis may know river flooding, but they will need all the help they can get from San Francisco when the New Madrid fault finally shows itself.

The only thing that this R plan will do well is require states to outsource their emergency management -- because there is no cost effective way for them to maintain, train, and equip teams for every type of catastrophe.

[yellerpup]

3. That's fantastic news.

NOLA expertise in water handling is so very welcome in NYC.

[donnasgirl]

5. This is how it's done

This President has an ability to bring people together, and it is my pleasure to have sent his campaign donations and to also bring him about 25 votes thru out the country.Republicans and democrats alike in my circle will be voting for the real commander and chief.

[nolabear]

6. This'll be good for New Orleans. Paying forward is a source of strength and pride.

Go NOLA!

[Chorophyll]

7. This does my heart good.

from New York. Thank you, New Orleans!

[fleur-de-lisa]

8. Just don't let them design any levees . . .

I hope they have some expertise in pumping out floodwater, but please don't let them design any levees. The COE designed the levees that failed during Katrina. And they were responsible for rebuilding those same levees after Katrina. Multiple times during the reconstruction, contractors were caught filling the new levees with garbage (old appliances, paper, etc.). COE was supposedly inspecting the levee reconstruction on an on-going basis. Just sayin' . . .

[kestrel91316]

9. Contractors are not COE. They are private businesses. THEY are the criminals.

COE inspections are probably limited by severe Republican-induced financial constraints.

[fleur-de-lisa]

10. No, the COE had inspectors on site continuously. It was written into the contract.

I know this for a fact. I was on a team of consultants involved in coordination of the levee rebuilding effort east of New Orleans International Airport.

And yes, the contractors were criminals, but that doesn't let the Corps off the hook. But I haven't heard of any New Orleans contractors going to assist with the Hurricane Sandy recovery.

[kestrel91316]

12. Wow. I have to assume that RWers have infiltrated COE to monkeywrench it

just like they try to do every other governmental entity.

I used to date a civilian employee of the COE. He was an environmental engineer, very liberal, a good loyal Dem. He never would have stood for that sort of crap.

[Arctic Dave]

11. I would think they would be the experts.

Lend a hand, that's what they're for.