 |  | | | | NASA'S Marshall Center Continues to Aid Recovery of Coastal NASA Sites
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09.14.05
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Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256.544.0034)
News release: 05-150
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., continues to coordinate NASA resources nationwide to deliver aid and supplies to personnel at two Agency facilities recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
Power and communications have been restored at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Gulfport, Miss., and commercial power is expected to be restored to the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans later this week. Communications with Michoud continue to be maintained by satellite phone until commercial phone service in that area is restored.
Trucks continue to be dispatched from the Marshall Center every few days, delivering requested supplies and materials to both Stennis and Michoud, hit hard by Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29.
Late last week, recovery teams established a land route to Michoud, considerably easing the logistics of resupplying the facility, which previously was surrounded by flood waters. Land access enables NASA to transport supplies, materials and relief personnel to Michoud by bus or van, instead of the numerous daily helicopter flights conducted during the first two weeks of the recovery effort.
Employees of the Marshall Center continue to volunteer as relief workers at Stennis and Michoud, rotating to the sites on a weekly basis. The volunteer program is expected to continue at Michoud for the foreseeable future.
Marshall also is partnering with NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., to provide a water purification system ensuring a steady supply of potable water to the Michoud facility to be used for showers and in bathroom facilities. Rotating teams of electricians, mechanics, safety engineers and support personnel also are traveling to both sites to participate in site cleanup and restoration of power and operations.
Last week, Marshall opened a Relocation Assistance Center for displaced employees and contractors, to speed up the workforce placement process and to provide housing, medical care and other comforts for their families. A food drive is successfully yielding non-perishable goods to be sent to the NASA sites, as well as other parts of the Southern U.S. coast devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Stennis Space Center primarily serves as a key hardware and engine testing facility for NASA. The Michoud Assembly Facility is responsible for constructing the massive Space Shuttle External Tanks that help lift the Shuttle to orbit.
NASA has designated a telephone number (877/470-5240) for displaced employees or family members to call for assistance or to advise NASA of their whereabouts. For additional contact information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/eoc
Michoud employees should call (800-563-8442) for assistance and to advise Lockheed Martin of their whereabouts.
NASA also has established a toll-free number (888/362-4323) for recorded updates about general conditions at Stennis and Michoud. For updates on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/hurricane
For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/home
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