News Release Archive

Reclamation Continues to Mobilize Response for Hurricane Katrina Disaster

Media Contact: Peter Soeth, 303-445-3615, psoeth@do.usbr.gov
Trudy Harlow, 202-513-0574, tharlow@usbr.gov

For Release: September 02, 2005

The Bureau of Reclamation continues to mobilize equipment and staff to respond to the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina. Reclamation's response is being coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Department of the Interior.

To direct the bureau's response to this disaster, Reclamation Commissioner John Keys has cancelled a business trip to the Colorado River area and is returning immediately to Washington, D.C.

Reclamation is deploying the Expeditionary Unit for Water Purification to the Pascagoula, Miss., area to provide treated drinking water in support of the U.S. Public Health Service. The U.S. Navy has an identical unit, which will be deployed to the Bay St. Louis, Miss., area.

These portable units were designed to purify contaminated and saline waters to better-than- EPA drinking water standards. Depending on the original quality of the water, each unit can produce 100,000 to 200,000 gallons per day.

In addition, Reclamation is finalizing an inventory of specialized equipment that will be available to deploy to the disaster area as requested.

Reclamation employees also are preparing to deploy to the disaster area. These highly skilled employees will provide quality assurance and quality control for debris removal and temporary roofing missions. The deployment will probably occur within seven to fourteen days and last at least 30 days, with additional deployments in the future. Additional employees with special skills are being identified and will be made available when requested.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.