Hurricane Idalia

Emergency Permitting Procedures following Hurricane Idalia

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District announced that it received authority to issue alternative/emergency permitting procedures in response to conditions resulting from Hurricane Idalia.

These alternate procedures will be effective for a six-month period, through March 3, 2024. A Corps-issued public notice announcing these alternative/emergency procedures is available at: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public-Notices/

Additional information on Emergency Permitting procedures is also available at https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/, with direct links to Emergency Permitting information for the Public at: https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll11/id/5821 and an Emergency Permit Request Form at: https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll11/id/5822.

The alternative/emergency procedures are used to authorize actions or work that is considered to be emergency in nature, which may include, but not limited to dredging to restore navigation and relieve flooding; stabilization of eroded shorelines; restoring roads, bridges, utility lines and other infrastructure; repair and replacement of authorized structures including docks and bulkheads; installing water intake structures, and removal and disposal of debris in waters of the U.S.

The Corps of Engineers regulations define an emergency as a situation, which would result in an unacceptable hazard to life, a significant loss of property or an immediate, unforeseen, and significant economic hardship if corrective action requiring a permit is not undertaken within a time period less than the normal time needed to process the application under standard procedures.

A map of Jacksonville District Regulatory Permit Office locations and phone numbers is available at: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Office-Locations/

The President of the United States declared an emergency for the Florida, which can be found at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/08/31/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-approves-florida-disaster-declaration-4/#:~:text=Today%2C%20President%20Joseph%20R.%20Biden,27%2C%202023%2C%20and%20continuing

The Jacksonville District, Regulatory Division, has been coordinating with responsible government agencies, including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Tribes to establish expedited coordination procedures.

The Corps is neither a proponent nor opponent of any proposed project. The Corps’ mission is to provide the regulated public with fair and reasonable decisions while providing protection of the Nation’s aquatic resources and navigation.

Florida Ports

JAXPORT is now fully open and operational.  

Cruise passengers: Elation will return to JAXPORT midday and depart for its next sailing this evening. Latest schedule info from Carnival Cruise Line: bit.ly/3qSKI6D

The Jacksonville District prepositioned its survey vessels and crews near deep draft ports in Florida to provide immediate harbor surveys.

  • Jacksonville District is currently conducting surveys in Tampa Harbor. 
  • We work closely with our partners in the U.S. Coast Guard and various port authorities to ensure a quick return to normal port traffic.

JACKSONVILLE Port Authority (JAXPORT)
TAMPA Port Authority (Port Tampa) 
MIAMI (Port Miami) 
 

Contractors Seeking Work

  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, is working with the full range of federal, state and local partners in response to Hurricane Fiona and the restoration work that will be required in its aftermath.
  • Businesses and individual contractors interested in doing business with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should take the first step of registering with the System for Award Management (SAM) at https://sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/index.jsf
  • The SAM.gov solicitation and contract award system is used by the Corps and many, many other federal agencies for publishing solicitations and awarding contracts.  The Corps draws on the pool of SAM.gov registered businesses to award the contracts necessary to accomplish its missions, including post-hurricane restoration work.
  • Small businesses may be particularly interested in contracting opportunities available through  the Jacksonville District Small Business Program. Information and points of contact may be found at https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/SmallBusiness/.
    Subcontracting opportunities usually result through partnerships with larger companies. Firms interested in pursuing such possibilities can find information from the U.S. Small Business Association at https://www.sba.gov.

Hurricane Idalia Emergency Response

The Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District is coordinating closely with Federal agencies, state, local, and tribal government officials in Florida to support local residents and prepare for recovery from impacts of Hurricane Idalia on the state, our facilities, and projects.

Our focus is on helping citizens quickly recover from Hurricane Idalia and return to normal as soon as possible.

The federal disaster relief mission is expected to operate in a challenging environment. Jacksonville District deployed staff to the state of Florida Emergency Operations Center, the South Florida Water Management District EOC, and pre-positioned staff in several key locations to begin recovery operations and begin executing any mission assignments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We are working closely with state and local officials to coordinate recovery activities.

Information important to boaters, campers, and those living near Lake Okeechobee and the Herbert Hoover Dike can find updated information about Corps of Engineers activities in response to Hurricane Idalia at wwww.saj.usace.army.mil/Idalia  

You can also follow us on Twitter @JaxStrong or like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JacksonvilleDistrict.

Our focus is on helping citizens recover from Hurricane Idalia -- to return communities to normal as soon as possible.

Okeechobee Waterway

  • All locks around Lake Okeechobee are open and operating under normal operating hours. 
  •  Okeechobee Waterway Locks from 7 a.m. to 5 pm. (last lockage starts at 4:30 PM), Canaveral Harbor Lock 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Recreation Facilities

  • All campgrounds managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Florida are currently open.
  • Visit https://www.recreation.gov for reservation information. 

Costal Shore Protection Projects (Beach Renourishment)

  • Jacksonville District is currently working on coastal shore protection projects with contracts on Florida beaches.
  • We have teams of engineers pre-positioned around the state to inspect those and previous coastal storm risk management projects. Inspection teams are preparing to survey the project and assess if any changes to the project plans beginning, Friday, Aug. 31.
  • The beach projects are specifically designed to help protect infrastructure from storms like Hurricane Idalia, so we not only expect to see erosion on many federal project sites. We believe that without those projects we would see much more damage to buildings, roads, and other facilities from this storm.
  • USACE can also inspect non-federal beaches for damage if given a mission assignment to do so by FEMA through the state EOC.

USACE Mission

Every year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, part of the federal government’s unified national response to disasters and emergencies, sends hundreds of people to respond to disasters around the world. Here at home, USACE assists the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency as the primary agency for public works and engineering-related emergency support. FEMA assigns USACE missions to include: debris management, commodities distribution, temporary housing, temporary roofing, emergency power, infrastructure assessment, and support to urban search and rescue.

  • USACE received a mission to begin Infrastructure assessments in impacted areas. 

  • Our Temp Power teams are pre-positioned and standing by for support if requested. 

  • St. Petersburg Harbor, Kings Bay and Fernandina Beach ports are currently closed. Remaining Florida ports are currently open. USACE survey teams are surveying ports in the Tampa area. 

  • USACE uses pre-awarded contracts that can be quickly activated for missions such as debris removal, temporary roofing, commodities distribution, and generator installation.

  • When disasters occur, USACE teams and other resources are mobilized from across the country to assist our local districts and offices to deliver our response missions.

USACE South Florida Operations

Herbert Hoover Dike and Lake Okeechobee:

Inspection teams conducted pre-storm inspections of Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD) and report no issues with the dike at this time.

  • Inspectors from our South Florida Operations Office are inspected the entire length of the Herbert Hoover Dike on Aug. 28 and reported no issues.
    • HHD is safer today than it has ever been going into a storm. Construction on the dike is 100% complete, all of the culvert replacements and removals are done, and the cutoff wall construction is 100% complete.
    • The goal of our inspections is to detect minor issues quickly and address them before they develop into major problems.
    • As the lake level rises, we have a system in place to increase the frequency of inspections on the dike.
  • The district plans to continue holding weekly media calls to keep the public informed of lake operations and may opt to make additional virtual news conferences as needed during the storm recovery.

Operation Blue Roof

  • We do not currently have a Blue Roof mission assignment from FEMA in response to Hurricane Idalia.