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  • May

    Col. James Delapp, Mobile District commander, speaks to local stakeholders May 25 during the annual Hurricane/Industry Day, held at the Alabama International Trade Center. Hurricane season officially begins June 1.

    Emergency Management hosts Industry Day to kick off hurricane season

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, talked hurricane preparedness May 25 to kick off the June 1 start of hurricane season, hosting the annual Hurricane/Industry Day, held at the Alabama International Trade Center. The Corps, Coast Guard, NOAA, Alabama State Port Authority and other stakeholder partners have met annually since 2004, the year Hurricane Ivan swept across the Gulf of Mexico, causing billions of dollars in damage to Alabama, Florida and other Southeastern states.
  • Buford Dam, just above Lake Lanier, was built in 1956. The Buford Powerhouse staff recently completed construction projects and other upgrades that dramatically improved the safety for the powerhouse staff.

    Mobile’s Safety Office teams up with Buford Powerhouse to improve safety

    Mobile District employees made their workplace safer through reconstruction, redesign and a small, but important addition of a guardrail.
  • Linda Spadaro, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, discusses contracting opportunities for small businesses, Nov. 3, during a workshop in Mobile, Ala. In 2016, approximately one-third of the district’s contracts were awarded to small businesses. (Photos by Tim Oberle, USACE Mobile Deputy Public Affairs Officer)

    Small business critical to Mobile District’s success

    Contracting with small business is critical for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, to fulfill their mission. In fact, in 2016 the district awarded approximately one-third of all procurements to small business.
  • Mobile District's Emergency Management Team, Bo Ansley, Ashley Leflore and Matthew Tate, built the district's emergency management program that was just accredited by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. The Mobile District's program is among only 12 districts that have been accredited by the program.

    District’s Emergency Management Branch earns accreditation

    The Mobile District’s Emergency Management Team is now accredited by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). To date, only 12 districts out of 43 have been accredited, including the four districts that were accredited this week.

  • April

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Landon Raby presents a book to Barbara R. McLauchlin, the daughter of Maj. Gen. Daniel A. Raymond, April 20. Raymond himself put the book together of key milestones of the district during his command here from 1961-1964.

    Album documents historic construction projects

    The year was 1961. Just a few months before the start of construction on the Berlin Wall and less than a year before John Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth, Lt. Col. Daniel A. Raymond assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. At the time, the average cost of a new car was $2,850 and the minimum wage was $1.05.
  • Ken Day (Back row far right) poses for a photo with other park rangers at Allatoona Lake, Ga. in 1978. Day began his career at Allatoona Lake, and currently works as a Supervisory Natural Resource Specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District.

    Mobile District Natural Resources Chief to receive ARC Legends Award

    The American Recreation Coalition (ARC) will recognize Ken Day, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District natural resources chief, as the recipient of the organization’s Legends Award June 1 during the Partners Outdoors Conference in Washington D.C. The award is presented annually to one individual from each major recreation-related federal agency for outstanding contributions to outdoor recreation.
  • Justin McDonald and a patient at University of South Alabama Children's and Women's Hospital build a bridge from Popsicle sticks during a visit, Feb. 21, in celebration of National Engineers Week. McDonald was one of Mobile District 10 volunteers who visited the hospital for the event.

    Mobile District engineer recognized for outstanding achievements by the Society of American Military Engineers

    A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District engineer has been honored for his significant contributions to engineering, design, construction, research and development or planning.
  • Water is released from Miller’s Ferry Lock and Dam in Wilcox County, Alabama, Mar. 11. Miller’s Ferry is one of several locks on the Alabama River that will be involved in a fish passage study led by Auburn University.

    Mobile District to facilitate Auburn University fish passage study

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, is working with the Auburn University School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences to facilitate a study on the effectiveness of conservation lockages on migratory fish species in the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin. The study is part of a continuing effort by the district and members of academia to identify how lock and dam operators can better support the passage of migratory fish through our Nation’s waterways.
  • Matthew Grunewald, stands in the jungle base camp in the Quang Tri Province of Vietnam overlooking the excavation site. Grunewald, a Mobile District archeologist participated in a month-long Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency mission in Vietnam, in an effort to recover military personnel lost during the Vietnam War.

    District archeologist assists POW/MIA Accounting Agency in recovery mission

    A Mobile District employee was recognized for his work as the recovery leader for a joint American and Vietnamese team that spent a month in Vietnam conducting an archaeological excavation in an effort to recover military personnel lost during the Vietnam War.

  • March

    Construction workers unload a wave attenuation device (WAD) into the water near Bayou Caddy with a barge-mounted crane. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, used the WADs as part of a living shoreline to reduce wave energy.

    Construction on Ecosystem Restoration Project nears completion

    In 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept away more than 18 acres of wetland in Bayou Caddy near Waveland, Miss. In the aftermath of the destruction, several studies concluded that the area was the most susceptible coastline in the country to be hit by another severe storm. Even without another severe storm hitting the area, the Bayou Caddy wetlands would have continued to erode due to a high wave energy concentration that is focused at that point. The erosion would have eventually led to a net loss of tidal marsh, estuarine habitat and productive fisheries. To prevent that from happening, the Federal government authorized the USACE to execute the Bayou Caddy Ecosystem Restoration Project.
  • Mobile District Natural Disaster Manager J. Matt Tate, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, assesses debris Feb. 21 near Albany, Ga., following a tornado. Assessing the type, quantity, and location of debris following a natural disaster is a critical piece of emergency management operations.

    Unmanned Aircraft lift USACE emergency response operations to new heights

    When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District (Mobile), assembled an emergency response team to support recovery operations in the wake of an EF3 tornado that touched down near Albany, Ga. in January, the district decided to try a unique approach. Among the nine-member team who deployed to the field to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), were two members of the USACE, Jacksonville District’s (Jacksonville), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) team.

  • February

    A pipeline dredge pumps material from the Pascagoula River onto the Round Island beneficial-use site Jan. 27, 2017. Dredging of the harbor and construction of the site was a collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and several other agencies. Upon completion, the beneficial-use site will be a thriving saltwater tidal marsh for wildlife.

    USACE, Mississippi projects converge to yield mutual benefits

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, is scheduled to wrap up the Pascagoula River Leg Deepening Project in March. The project never would have happened without a little ingenuity and a willingness to work with others.
  • The daughter of Chief Master Sgt. Arthur Arehart Sr., U.S. Air Force, pays respect to her late father at the Barrancas National Cemetery at the Naval Air Station-Pensacola, Fl., Feb. 14. The final resting place for Arehart is in a section of columbarium that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, constructed last year.

    Barrancas Cemetery Project provides opportunity for District to honor veterans, families for their service

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District (USACE), recently completed a project at the Barrancas National Cemetery at the Naval Air Station Pensacola to construct approximately 2,500 columbarium. The project required a quick turnaround, but the USACE used some innovative techniques to ensure our Nation's Veterans and their Families received the dignified burial that their service and sacrifice demands.
  • Courtney Perry, project manager U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District (USACE), helps a child at the University of South Alabama Children’s and Women’s Hospital build a bridge Feb. 21 as part of the district’s National Engineers Week (NEW) community outreach. The USACE visited the hospital as a way to promote STEM and educate the public on the USACE mission.

    USACE Mobile kicks off National Engineers Week with visit to local hospital

    In an effort to promote the value of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) during National Engineers Week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, visited the University of South Alabama Children’s and Women’s Hospital here, Feb. 21. While at the hospital, engineers from the district taught the children how engineers contribute to society, hosted an interactive bridge-building contest, and handed out Mardi Gras-themed items.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Richard L. Stevens speaks to Mobile District employees during his visit at a town hall meeting held Feb. 10.

    USACE Deputy Commander visits Mobile District

    The Mobile District welcomed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deputy Commander Maj. Gen. Richard L. Stevens on his first visit to Mobile, Feb. 10.

  • USACE Water Manager awarded second highest civilian honor

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) South Atlantic Division Commander Brig. Gen. C. David Turner presented James E.Hathorn Jr., Mobile District Water Management Chief, with the U.S. Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award Jan. 30 in Mobile, Ala. The award is the second highest honor that a U.S. civilian is eligible to receive.

  • January

    Justin McDonald (Right), lead engineer for USACE Mobile Civil Works, accepts the 2017 Mobile Area Council of Engineers (MACE) ‘Young Engineer of the Year’ award from District Commander Col. James DeLapp Jan. 26 at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, Ala. The award is handed out to an engineer who is under the age of 35 and who demonstrates leadership in their professional lives and in the community.

    Mobile District engineer named ‘Young Engineer of the Year’

    Justin McDonald, lead engineer for civil works U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District (USACE), has been named the Mobile Area Council of Engineers (MACE) 2017 ‘Young Engineer of the Year’. McDonald received the award Jan. 26 during a ceremony at the Gulf Coast Exploreum in downtown Mobile, Ala.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District (USACE), Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Landon Raby addresses attendees during a public scoping meeting for the proposed Pascagoula River Drought Resiliency Project Jan. 24 at the George County Senior Citizens Building in Lucedale, Miss. During the meeting, the USACE collected public comments on the project that will be used in the development of an Environmental Impact Statement. More than 200 members of the public attended to voice their opinions on the project.

    USACE hosts public scoping meeting on proposed Pascagoula River Drought Resiliency Project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District (USACE), hosted a public scoping meeting Jan. 24 at the George Country Senior Citizens Building in Lucedale, Miss. to solicit feedback from the public on a proposal to construct two water supply lakes in southeastern Mississippi. The applicants, the George County Board of Supervisors and the Pat Harrison Waterway District, filed a request with the USACE for a Department of the Army permit to construct the lakes back in August 2015.