Army engineers speeds New York City recovery with dewatering mission

Published Nov. 2, 2012
Floating drift clogs the Battery Park Underpass after Hurricane Sandy inundated lower Manhattan with a record level storm surge. As part of the national response framework for Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in support of FEMA is making steady progress to assist local, city, and state officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  The Corps will be overseeing pump operations to get an estimated 10 million gallons of water out of the Battery Park Underpass, which is estimated to take 24 hours to complete.

Floating drift clogs the Battery Park Underpass after Hurricane Sandy inundated lower Manhattan with a record level storm surge. As part of the national response framework for Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in support of FEMA is making steady progress to assist local, city, and state officials in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The Corps will be overseeing pump operations to get an estimated 10 million gallons of water out of the Battery Park Underpass, which is estimated to take 24 hours to complete.

BROOKLYN, New York – Demonstrating the power of teamwork and collaboration between local, state and federal government agencies, the New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on several large infrastructure projects to speed recovery from Hurricane Sandy’s devastation.

“The Corps is committed to working with our partners as the recovery moves forward,” said Corps’ New York District Commander Col. Paul E. Owens.

Today, the Corps started pumping out the Battery Park underpass, with the plan to pump from two different sites and our experts estimate the project will take 24 hours. An estimated 10 million gallons of water will be pumped from the site while Army engineers plan and prepare work in other locations.

Overall, the Corps is assessing 35 large scale infrastructure projects across the city and providing technical assistance, or in some cases, direct pump-out support. Corps experts are also working hand-in-hand with engineering teams from organizations like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Department of Transportation.

Any media seeking to speak to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division about the Corps' actions in response to damage from Hurricane Sandy should contact Justin Ward at 718-765-7192, 347-675-8601, or justin.m.ward@usace.army.mil.

Contact
Justin Ward
347-370-4550
justin.m.ward@usace.army.mil

Release no. 12-023