Press Releases

Army Corps of Engineers stands ready to respond to Hurricane Nate

Published Oct. 7, 2017

MOBILE, Ala. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, is closely coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and various other federal, state and local partners in preparation for potential destruction caused by Hurricane Nate.

Hurricane Nate has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane and is expected to make landfall by Sunday morning along the U.S. Gulf Coast as a possible Category 2 hurricane. The Mobile District is conducting 24-hour operations to monitor the course and intensity of the storm to expedite response efforts in the aftermath of the storm.

As is the case following any natural disaster, the number one priority for the Corps of Engineers is to provide immediate life-saving and life-safety emergency response support, to sustain lives with critical temporary emergency power and other needs, and to initiate recovery efforts by assessing and restoring critical infrastructure.

“Our partners at the state and local level do an outstanding job responding to emergencies, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is always ready to deliver life-saving aid and help rebuild critical infrastructure and local communities,” said Mobile District Commander Col. James DeLapp. 

The district’s Operations Division has ceased all coastal dredging operations and is coordinating closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, industry partners, Port Directors and bar pilots across the affected Gulf Coast area to be prepared to assess any damages and reopen affected port channels and inland/coastal waterways as soon as possible

While preparing to respond to Hurricane Nate, Corps personnel continue their efforts to support the federal response to Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Hurricane Nate will mark the fourth hurricane in the last two months that the Mobile District has responded to in conjunction with FEMA and other Corps of Engineers Divisions and Districts. The Corps of Engineers responds to natural disasters each year, working around the clock to provide life-saving aid to affected people.

Contact
Tim Oberle, Deputy Public Affairs Officer
(251) 654-4564

Release no. 17-053