Alumni Spotlight : Matt Pierce

Matt Pierce has been working for the Corps of Engineers, Memphis District since his graduation in 2004. He is a Civil Engineer with the Memphis District Revetments. His main job requirement is to assist the Chief of Revetment, Kevin Williams in the operations of the Clearing & Snagging, Grading, and Loading Units. However, this all changed on September 1 st of 2005. Matt’s unit was called to assist after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New Orleans and the Mississippi coast. His unit was sent, under Task Force Unwatering, to breach levees in Plaquemines Parish that were holding water inside the levee systems. Their next orders were to begin repairing breaches in other parts of the parish. They were repairing a breach in Nairn, LA when Hurricane Rita made landfall. His unit was then evacuated from Louisiana. They returned shortly to continue repairing breaches, clearing debris, and repairing scour holes. After Task Force Unwatering was complete, Matt’s unit went under order of Task Force Guardian, which involves reconstruction of the levee systems. His unit is responsible for digging borrow for the contractors to place on the levees. Matt serves as a liaison between the Project Manager for Plaquemines and the hired labor crews. He is responsible for staffing the four borrow pits under construction, ordering equipment, providing production reports, and performing soil analyses.

Extreme Engineering, a Discovery Channel program, spent a day at one of Matt’s units’ borrow pits (Walker Road) while developing a special on the reconstruction of the levees in the New Orleans area. They were particularly interested in the 100 ton dragline that is removing the material in the pits. The soil conditions at the Walker Road site make the use of the dragline necessary for the 20 ft excavations. The Extreme Engineering special will air sometime this spring.

Matt takes pride in the fact that he is helping the people of New Orleans, particularly in Plaquemines Paris, reclaim and rebuild their homes. His experiences over the past six months have undoubtedly reinforced within him the importance of the career he has undertaken. The devastation he has encountered he describes as “unimaginable.” The majority of the communities in which his unit has been working were completely destroyed by the hurricanes.

Being away from his family and girlfriend for the past six months, and more than likely for the next six months has been difficult. However, he recognizes the invaluable experience he is obtaining, and more importantly the invaluable service he is rendering to the people in the hurricane affected regions. When asked about the difficulties he is experiencing, Matt replied, “I just try to remind myself that the work that I am doing will go down in history, and I will be back home soon enough.”

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