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During a disaster, the aspects of day-to-day life such as transportation, communication and acquisition of goods, become increasingly difficult. Communities are left in a state of fluctuation and instability that is only exacerbated by the problem of debris and debris removal. In order to return a community back to normal, effective and efficient debris removal is a top priority in the recovery process.

The state of Florida is no stranger to problems with debris and providing debris removal. According to FEMA, the state has had 136 federally declared disasters since 1953. Sixty-seven of the 136 federally declared disasters were major disaster declarations, 12 were emergency declarations and 57 were fire management assistance declarations.

Ken Parker, retired city manager of Port Orange, Florida, has had years of experience dealing with the effects of natural disasters. A total of five hurricanes passed through Port Orange during Parker’s tenure, including one in 1998, three in 2004 and one in 2005. Under Parker’s guidance, the city of Port Orange also assisted jurisdictions impacted by Hurricanes Andrew and Opal — which did not hit Port Orange — by providing long-term recovery assistance. Parker also experienced many other small flooding and tornado events during his 28-year tenure.

According to Parker, who took a holistic approach to debris removal in disaster management, providing quick and effective debris removal is one of the most important aspects of the response and recovery process. Instead of waiting until the day after a storm to begin the debris removal process, Parker emphasizes the importance of pre-planning in addition to the efficient execution of debris removal during and after the storm. Because they already had a plan in place, Parker and his team were able to begin removing debris on day one.

“The key essential was that we did it all in the pre-planning phase and we knew what we were going to do in the execution phase,” Parker said.

LESSONS LEARNED

Parker emphasizes two major points in the debris removal process: having a plan in place, and the importance of accommodating first responders and their families during and after the storm.

Lesson 1: Have a Plan in Place

Having a plan in place helps first responders and public workers know exactly what to do in the case of a disastrous event. In the days leading up to the storm, Parker and his team created maps outlining where people and machinery would be positioned.

“Because we had done all the pre-planning, we had prepositioned, we were able to begin moving debris on day one. We cleared at least one lane of traffic on every street in the city, including our residential streets, on day one. But we were only able to do this because of the pre-planning phase,” said Parker. “It’s all because we knew exactly what we would be doing during the execution phase of the plan.”

Lesson 2: Have Accommodations for First Responders and their Families

Parker also notes the importance of providing housing and accommodations for first responders and their families in the days leading up to the storm. Parker, along with many professionals in the disaster planning and emergency management fields, have found that many first responders are absent on the day of an event because they’re concerned about the health and safety of their families.

“For many first responders, completing difficult tasks during catastrophic conditions is not the toughest challenge they face,” Parker says. “The toughest challenge first responders face during catastrophic conditions is wondering what the state of their family is at that time. For us in Port Orange, we were able to provide our first responders with peace of mind by housing them and their families. The importance of peace of mind cannot be understated.”

Parker says they were able to house everyone, including first responders, contractors and full time city employees. “Everyone was there and declared essential personnel,” Parker explained. “When the time came to clear the streets… that is what we did because we didn’t have anything else to concern ourselves with.”