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Last updated: August 6, 2008
News
Norfolk Team Responds to Dolly
July 31, 2008
Story by Jerry Rogers
Photo by Jon Reyes
NORFOLK, Va. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency activated 13 members of Norfolk District's Commodities Planning and Response Team or PRT July 23, and they deployed to Texas the following day in response to Hurricane Dolly.
Eleven members of the all-volunteer Army Corps of Engineers PRT traveled to the National Logistics Staging Area in Edinburgh, Texas, to support the commodities mission while the team's other two members deployed to the Texas State Operations Center in Austin, to coordinate, advise and assist state officials with expertise and support of the commodities mission.
Unlike previous deployments, the commodities team activated the day Hurricane Dolly made landfall versus several days prior, which meant the team had to hit the ground running, said Greggory Williams, Norfolk's commodities team leader. Team members quickly became a sought-after resource for their operational expertise and willingness to help.
This became evident when Texas officials asked for technical assistance in setting up a new staging area after the current area filled with tractor trailers, said Williams.
"Team members met with contractor and state representatives to discuss the current operations efficiency and the best way to integrate the new area into the commodities flow," Williams said. "The result was a seamless expansion of operations that eventually allowed the state to receive and distribute more than 2.6 million liters of water and 6.9 million pounds of ice."
Team members returned to Norfolk July 31.
The 32-member Norfolk District team is one of seven Corps teams whose mission is to coordinate, receive and deliver bagged ice and bottled and bulk water to disaster areas in the United States and its territories. The commodities PRT mission is performed under Emergency Support Function #3, Public Works and Engineering, which is part of the National Response Framework, an all-hazards plan managed by the Department of Homeland Security.
Hurricane Dolly, a tropical cyclone that made landfall in extreme southern Texas, was the fourth tropical cyclone and second hurricane to form during the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm, packing 100 mph winds, made U.S. landfall July 23 at South Padre Island, Texas. The storm caused 122,800 customers to lose power in Texas, and caused property damage estimated at $1.2 billion.
Positions are currently available on the Norfolk District Commodities team and interested District employees, with supervisor's approval, can contact the Emergency Management office for more details.