A new leader will oversee operations of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? Omaha District.
Colonel Mark Himes has been appointed to succeed retiring Colonel John Hudson, who had been in charge of the Omaha District since 2017. This district of the Corps oversees the Missouri River from mid-Missouri, through Western Iowa, and to its headwaters.
In a farewell speech on Wednesday, Hudson looked back on the devastating 2019 Missouri River floods that caused an estimated $2.9 billion in damage, left millions of Midwest acres unplanted, and extreme financial hardship for Ag producers throughout the western portion of the state.
“The melting waters quickly overwhelmed every tributary in eastern Nebraska, western Iowa and southeastern South Dakota,” said Hudson. “Within 72 hours, nearly every levee system from Omaha to Kansas City had been overtopped and most had breached. In total, more than 300 miles of district levees were damaged or destroyed.”
It?s been well over a year since the flooding took place, and work continues to this day on repairing additional levees that were damaged from the flooding. The Corps has spent over $300 million on repairs.
Himes comes to the Omaha District after most recently studying at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He has served in various roles for the Corps, including as deputy commander of the Jacksonville, Florida District.
“The history and accomplishments of the Omaha District are unmatched,” said Himes. “From the earliest Civil Works missions to manage the Missouri River, the construction of the six mainstem dam projects, the countless military program successes like building the NORAD Command Center deep inside Cheyenne Mountain or the many military facilities throughout the upper Midwest to protect the nation and enable soldiers, airmen and civilians to carry out their missions.”
The Omaha District oversees an annual budget of around $1 billion in construction programs in parts of seven states throughout the Midwest.
