Local Corps Of Engineers Sending Members To Help With Hurricane, Wildfire Relief
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Weeks after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria devastated the U.S., local Army workers are still on the ground helping with the cleanup.
Right now, more than a dozen workers from the Baltimore district of the Army Corps of Engineers are still on the ground helping those hardest hit from the storms put their lives back together.
As the U.S. islands of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands continue to rebuild from Hurricane Maria, they are helping with the effort.
"It's great to be part of the national mission that we have supporting this effort," said Major Andrew Petrie, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Since August, 22 people from the Baltimore office have been on the ground in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands helping to restore power, remove storm debris, and repair roofs.
"The people who are volunteering to leave their jobs and their homes to go and help those in need are taking on additional duties," said Dorie Murphy, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Murphy says many of those who volunteer have personal ties to the disaster, through family, friends, or growing up there.
It's been a busy few months for the Baltimore office, which also sent workers to Texas and Georgia after hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
"There's a lot of work to be done," said . "We plan on continuing to support that effort until the mission is finished."
Next week, five members of the local Army Corps of Engineers will head west to California to help with debris cleanup from this month's deadly Napa wildfires.
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