Hometown Hero: St. Louis District Employee Helps Puerto Rico Hometown Recover

Published Dec. 11, 2017

ST. LOUIS – More than 90 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Louis District employees have deployed since September to support hurricane response and recovery efforts. They are part of more than 850 Corps personnel from across the nation responding to the unprecedented back-to-back storms.

Cynthia Rodriguez, a civil engineer with the St. Louis District and native of Puerto Rico, deployed to Puerto Rico as part of the Corps’ Temporary Roofing team which oversees the installation of blue plastic sheeting on to damaged roofs until arrangements for permanent repairs are made. What makes this even more personal for Rodriguez is that she was able to help her hometown recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria.

“It has been really rewarding helping people that I know,” Rodriguez commented. “We were going house by house and street by street helping those that need the blue roof. It’s been a great opportunity for me.” For more of Cynthia’s story please visit:

Today, blue roof installations are still in progress with more than 17,600 blue roofs installed and a production rate at approximately 200 roofs per day. For more information on the Blue Roof mission visit:

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The Corps is prepared and ready to respond to natural and human-made disasters with more than 50 specially-trained response teams supported by emergency contracts to perform a wide range of public works and engineering-related support missions. When disasters occur, Corps teams and other resources are mobilized from across the country to assist our local districts and offices to deliver our response missions. The Corps is part of the federal government’s unified national response to disasters and emergencies, and serves as the lead agency to respond with public works and engineering support, and to coordinate long-term infrastructure recovery. The Corps conducts its emergency response activities under two basic authorities – the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act, and mission-assigned by FEMA, under the Stafford Disaster and Emergency Assistance Act.

Rodriguez is now back in the St. Louis area, but is hoping to return to Puerto Rico in the near future to continue helping her hometown with the devastation caused by these unprecedented storms.

St. Louis District employees that supported the Blue Roof mission are available for interviews.


Contact
Amanda Kruse
amanda.l.kruse@usace.army.mil

Release no. 17-119