FEMA developed this guide to provide communities with a framework for structuring their own debris management plan or ensuring that their existing plan is consistent with FEMA’s eligibility criteria. This is part of FEMA’s efforts to encourage communities to take a proactive approach to creating and managing debris removal operations as part of their overall… Read more
This guide provides an overview of and the steps for implementing FEMA’s alternative procedures for debris removal. FEMA is currently piloting these procedures. FEMA’s Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Pilot Program Guide for Debris Removal, Version 5 [PDF]
When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the coastal city of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005, they left trail of destruction in their wake. In total, 80 percent of the city was flooded by the waters that breached the levees intended to protect the city. The epic flooding created an equally monumental amount of debris. “After… Read more
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… Read more
When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the coastal city of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005, they left a trail of destruction in their wake, including a monumental amount of debris. Dr. Chuck Carr Brown, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, managed the massive debris removal effort in New Orleans. Below are Brown’s tips… Read more
In disaster recovery, the role that the Stafford Act plays in how FEMA is authorized to provide disaster assistance funding is critically important, but it is challenging for localities to understand all the requirements. Below is a brief overview of the Stafford Act. Additionally, tools and resources are available for helping communities meet requirements.
To maintain the integrity of the design consultation process, a best practice is to use a scope and version control system. See the document below for an example, and see the Scope/Estimate Version Control tool for a template you can download and customize.
The Disaster Impact and Unmet Needs Assessment Kit guides grantees through a process for identifying and prioritizing critical unmet needs for long-term community recovery. It is designed to be used by grantees at any time following a disaster. However, the quality of the assessment is directly tied to the quality and completeness of the impact… Read more
Orange County, Texas, offers an insightful example of the types of staffing considerations localities experience during a disaster. The county was faced with a unique natural disaster situation in March of 2016 when the nearby Sabine River reached record-level highs, forcing operators at the Toledo Bend Dam to release water at an accelerated rate, flooding… Read more
Housing cooperatives and other planned communities present their own challenges during the post-disaster recovery process. A single apartment block might yield more opinions and challenges than an entire small town. Add in the profusion of city, state and national ordinances and regulations that the process must meet, and the task can quickly become unmanageable. Yet… Read more
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