|
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />I
<br />
<br />EMERGENCY DEBRIS DISPOSAL MANAGEMENT
<br />
<br />Debris removal from private property is generally the responsibility of the individual property owner, aided
<br />by insurance settlements and assistance from volunteer agencies, However, the Stafford Act Sections
<br />403 and 407 and 44 CFR 206.224(b) provide FEMA the authority to fund eligible applicants to remove
<br />debris from private property. This work may be eligible when the following guidelines are met:
<br />
<br />)> The disaster caused very severe and widespread damage.
<br />)> The removal is necessary to eliminate an immediate threat to life, public health and safety, or to
<br />improve public or private property, or to ensure the economic recovery of the affected community
<br />to the benefit of the community-at-Iarge.
<br />)> The work is performed by an eligible applicant, such as a municipal or county government.
<br />)> The private property owner has provided all insurance information.
<br />)> It is pre-approved by the Federal Disaster Recovery Manager (DRM).
<br />
<br />Applicants and property owners must be aware that only FEMA makes eligibility determinations regarding
<br />removal of debris from private property. Not all actions that may be taken by the local governments are
<br />eligible for FEMA assistance.
<br />
<br />Starting with our efforts after Hurricane Frances, we learned the need to develop and customize
<br />databases that are flexible enough to respond to different agency requirements. Not all agencies require
<br />the same type of information and the utilization of standard accounting systems for cost control and
<br />reporting do not adequately serve those needs. We presently utilize an extremely flexible database that
<br />can be rearranged in many different ways by renaming fields to capture information and process it in a
<br />way that is clearly understood by our clients. With respect to debris monitoring, we have developed a
<br />system for tracking the load tickets in a way that allows us not only to quantify efforts on a daily basis, but
<br />also quantify the number of trips performed by any given truck, or the number of tickets signed by an
<br />individual inspector on any given day. This information is valuable in clearly understanding the location
<br />from which the material is being removed in case there are questions as to which agency is responsible
<br />for reimbursement, as well as to prevent any type of mistake or misconduct. Our system allows us to
<br />keep a daily record of the number of loads, cubic yards of material and dollars spent, which in turn
<br />provides valuable information for daily reporting on the progress of the recovery effort. Moreover, as we
<br />have shown time and time again, within a couple of days of completion of the activities we are able to
<br />produce a complete and accurate report of the entire effort performed, supported by load tickets.
<br />
<br />V. PERFORMANCE ISSUES
<br />
<br />The 2004 and 2005 Hurricane season produced a lot of damage in South Florida and as part of the
<br />recovery effort we were involved with assisting the Florida Department of Transportation District 4 in
<br />seeking federal reimbursement from FHWA and from FEMA. The work eligible for reimbursement
<br />included 2nd pass debris removal, all preventive measures, building repairs, and mission requests that
<br />provided support to local agencies on non-federal aid roads. The breakdown of reimbursement for the
<br />2004 and 2005 storm season is as follows:
<br />
<br />2004 Hurricane Season
<br />Hurricane Frances Total Amount Federal Share % of Reimbursement
<br />FEMA $3,720,210.99 $3,348,189.89 89.99%
<br />FHWA $32,150,805.01 $28,080,133.74 87.34%
<br />Hurricane Jeanne Total Amount Federal Share % of Reimbursement
<br />FEMA $17,443,424.14 $17,083,016.91 97,93%
<br />FHWA $105, 121,476.00 $92,683,669.27 88,17%
<br />2005 Hurricane Season
<br />Hurricane Wilma Total Amount Federal Share % of Reimbursement
<br />FEMA $5,166,277.11 $3,061,481.43 59,26%
<br />FHWA $171,455,097.00 $149,248,445.46 87.05%
<br />
<br />All totals shown above are based on the current available information and does not reflect the final totals
<br />since the reimbursement process with FEMA and FHWA is still ongoing.
<br />
<br />9
<br />
|