George Minges, a familiar face in the Louisville District, has been named the new chief of emergency operations bringing with him more than 16 years of experience in geotechnical, project management, emergency management, environmental restoration, response, recovery and rehabilitation expertise following a disaster.
Minges has served in emergency management since 2012, but first began with the district in 2008. He started in the Geotechnical Engineering section where he worked on dams, levees, military and civil projects.
“I never thought I would be in emergency operations,” said Minges. “I am a third generation engineer. My father was a civil engineer in disaster relief and flood control in Cincinnati, Ohio. My grandfather was an electrical engineer and land surveyor. One of my favorite memories of my father was watching him work in disaster relief.”
His first round with emergency management happened in 2012 where he won the USACE Planner of the Year Award in 2013 for his efforts during the planning and execution of emergency response plans. In 2015, Minges joined Engineering Division’s Environmental Branch, where he worked on Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) projects. For the last three years, Minges has been back in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as the emergency operations manager, deploying 24 different times in support of regional and national disasters such as 2017-2019 Louisville District Flooding and the 2013 Hurricane Sandy debris mission.
Minges has big goals for the emergency operations center.
"One of my primary goals is making the branch accessible to all employees in the district,” said Minges.
In his new role, Minges is responsible for managing and mitigating disaster relief. He provides consultation and assistance to the unique partnerships that we have with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) when a natural disaster occurs. In 2019 the district EOC assisted and deployed in support of seven different missions and deployed 61 personnel throughout the year for disasters such as Hurricane Dorian and Arkansas River Flooding. His office also provides assistance for the safe operations and maintenance of the district as a whole.