Hurricane Debris Removal A Priority Fema/State Mission
Release Date: September 27, 2004
Release Number: 1551-019
» More Information on Florida Hurricane Ivan
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Hurricane Ivan has come and gone, but it left behind mountains of debris to be removed and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made that job one of its primary missions.
Debris specialists to oversee and monitor removal operations have been deployed to stricken Florida counties. The teams include FEMA, the U.S. Corps of Engineers and contracted personnel. The costs of the removal efforts are shared by FEMA (75 percent) and the state (25 percent). Debris removal is a FEMA public assistance program.
“Debris removal is a massive task that often begins with individual property owners,” said State Coordinating Officer Craig Fugate of the State Emergency Response Team (SERT).
The actual removal, storage and disposal of debris is performed by local governments or by contractors selected by those governmental entities.
“Our early targeting of debris removal is to make highways and roads safe for travel and to remove debris from public property if it constitutes a health or safety hazard,” commented Federal Coordinating Office Bill Carwile of FEMA. Public property also includes publicly owned facilities such as parks and recreation areas.
Debris removal from private property is not eligible for FEMA assistance. However, for a limited time, individual property owners can move debris from their property to public rights-of-way for pick up and disposal by local government. If a fallen tree blocks access to a residence and there is no insurance coverage, FEMA may be able to provide monetary assistance.
In general, contracting for debris work requires competitive bidding. Non-competitive contracting is acceptable only during an emergency when the contract award cannot be delayed by the time required to obtain competitive bidding.
The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is a collaboration of Florida’s emergency management agencies led by the state coordinating officer. SERT’s mission is to ensure that Florida is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate their impact. Visit http://www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief effort.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 28-Sep-2004 13:08:17