CoSci alum leads electricity restoration in Puerto Rico

Texas A&M [construction management] (http://cosc.arch.tamu.edu/graduate/) graduate, James DeLapp ‘03, a colonel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is leading efforts to restore electricity to critical facilities in Puerto Rico after the island’s electrical grid was destroyed September 20 by Hurricane Maria’s 150-mph winds.

“Make no mistake — this is a humanitarian disaster involving 3.4 million U.S. citizens,” said the island’s governor, Ricardo Roselló.

In a September 29 CNN [interview] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE0vtM4D9Uc) , DeLapp, commander of the corps’ Puerto Rico field office, said the corps is working with the island’s power authority and the Department of Energy to restore power as quickly as possible.

He cited the island’s terrain as a significant logistical challenge to moving equipment and people where they’re needed.

DeLapp, commander of the corps’ Mobile District and an Illinois native, is a distinguished military graduate from Kansas State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1994.

Prior to assuming command of the Mobile District, DeLapp attended the Army War College, where he earned a Master of Security Studies degree, and served as the commander of the corps’ Nashville District.

Richard Nira
rnira@tamu.edu