Corpstruction

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we sat down with Cassi Free to talk about her son Andy, who fell out of the family boat and drowned after a day of wakeboarding and boating on Lake Eufaula on June 9, 2020.

When her two other sons were sent to the hospital that same day, the family discovered they were exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide while out on the water. Tests revealed that Andy, who was nine years old, had been exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide.

Cassi was kind enough to sit down and share her experience and talk about the family’s efforts to raise awareness of carbon monoxide while boating.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is a byproduct of burning fuel. If a flame or combustion is present, carbon monoxide is being produced. Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen in the blood depriving the heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen. It can kill within minutes.

Initial carbon monoxide toxicity symptoms often mirror fatigue typical of being out in the sun, and since it’s lighter than air, it can remain in an area for long periods, especially in highly trafficked areas.

Be aware of the risks of exposure. Take frequent breaks away from the lake, and if you observe lethargy or confusion in others, seek medical attention.

Abby Jones joined the Corpstruction Podcast to talk about safety as June is National Safety Month.

The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, Alabama is a unique U.S. Army Corps of Engineers organization. Whereas USACE Districts and Divisions have geographical areas of operations for mission execution, the Huntsville Center has functional and highly specialized mission sets that transcend geographic boundaries. For this reason, the Center works within the boundaries of other USACE districts. They truly are Ingénieurs sans frontières.

We sat down with Bill Craven, the Deputy Director of the Installation Support and Program Management Directorate to learn about the work the Huntsville Center is doing within the Tulsa District’s AOR, and better understand this unique USACE organization with a diverse, yet specialized mission set.

Stephanie Woods is a registered interior designer at the U.S. Army Engineering & Support Center in Huntsville, Alabama - also known as the Huntsville Center.

Woods is from Florence, Alabama and is a graduate of the Auburn University Interior Design program.

Woods is one of approximately 60 interior designers in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. About half of them are assigned to the Huntsville Center.

Woods spoke to Corpstruction about how the interior designers at the Huntsville Center support missions in the Tulsa District, Southwestern Division, the Army and throughout the world.

Park Ranger Audrey White took time during the Severe Weather Expo in Tulsa, April 15, to talk to Corpstruction about water safety, and recreation. White is assigned to the Lake Texoma Project Office. She talks about how her perspectives on life jacket wear and water safety evolved after becoming a park ranger, and about the work the staff at Lake Texoma are doing to promote recreation.

Lake Texoma is a Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project constructed for flood control. The dam was completed in 1944. In addition to flood control, the structure and reservoir have hydropower, recreation, water supply missions.

Lake Texoma receives more than 6 million visitors annually.

Taft Price is a forecaster in the Hydraulics and Hydrology section of the Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Prior to joining USACE he spent 25 years in television as a meteorologist for local news stations in Oklahoma.

Price's interest in weather and severe weather began when the roof on his family's home was blown off by a tornado. He joined us for the Corpstruction during the Severe Weather Expo at Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa to talk about how it all began and how he enjoys his new career at the Corps of Engineers.

Dan Carney and Tim Paulus of USACE Headquarters visited with Corpstruction to talk about the upcoming Fire Protection, Mechanical, Electrical and Control Systems Community of Practice Meeting in Tulsa in May.

We joined Brad Clark, the lead engineer of the project delivery team for the Pre-Engineering and Design phase of the Tulsa West Tulsa Levee rehabilitation project in Little Rock, Arkansas. Clark is the Geotechnical Branch Chief of the Dam Safety Production Center and oversees geotechnical engineers working on various projects in the Southwestern Division.

Johnny Bray is the powerhouse manager at Eufaula Dam. He oversees the maintenance of the structure and hydropower facilities to ensure the powerhouse can reliably produce its 90 Megawatts of Electricity when needed. He recently received the De Fleury Medal, the highest honor a USACE civilian can receive, in honor of 40 years of service to the nation. Bray began his career at the Webbers Falls Powerhouse in December 1982 and served at Denison Dam on Lake Texoma and eventually returned to the Lake Eufaula powerhouse only a few miles from where he grew up.

At the end of calendar year Bray will leave the powerhouse for the last time as a USACE employee. We spoke with him about his career and upcoming retirement.

Brannen Parrish interviews Michael Ware about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Regulatory Authority under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

Ware is a supervisory regulatory specialist at the Tulsa District. He is a graduate of Langston University and began his career with the Tulsa District as a Park Ranger in the 1990s. In 1995 he became a regulatory specialist based upon his biology background.

He talks about the Regulatory Program's role in minimizing human impacts to natural habitats and ecosystems as well as its other Congressionally protected mandated authorities and responsibilities.