WASHINGTON _ The number of requests made by cities to the Army Corps of Engineers for field hospitals skyrocketed this week to 750 from 114, as states brace for an expected wave of coronavirus cases in the next three weeks, the chief engineer of the Army Corps of Engineers said Friday.
The Corps knows time is running short, with an expected peak to hit in some cities in the next three weeks, roughly the time it takes to stand up a field hospital, Army Corps of Engineers chief engineer Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite told reporters at the Pentagon. He expressed confidence that the service could address those community requests.
Field hospitals being built at CenturyLink field in Seattle and the Sleep Train Arena in Washington state are almost finished. The Corps provided the design and the city managed the building, he said.
