Perry Copes, a mechanic with the U.S. Army Corps of

Perry Copes, a mechanic with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Philadelphia District, gives instructions to a contractor during debris removal operations here July 24. Copes is one of more than 300 Corps employees who've volunteered to support federal recovery operations after an EF-5 tornado ripped through the city May 22. More than 8,000 commercial and residential buildings were damaged or destroyed and 160 people killed. The Federal Emergency Management Agency tasked the Corps with removing debris from public rights of way and some residential properties, constructing temporary critical facilities such as schools and fire stations, and building temporary housing parks. While in Joplin, Copes supervised Corps employees and contractors while they removed an estimated 1.5 million cubic yards of tornado debris.