FEMA Coordinating Louisiana Debris Removal
Release Date: November 30, 2005
Release Number: 1603-185
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BATON ROUGE, La. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working closely with federal, state of Louisiana and local officials to coordinate the removal and disposal of tens of millions of cubic yards of debris left by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Under FEMA’s Public Assistance program, FEMA will reimburse state and local officials for eligible debris removal. Most debris removal costs incurred by state and local governments will be reimbursed 100 percent by FEMA until Jan. 15, 2006.
Local governments may receive direct reimbursement from FEMA for debris removal. Alternatively, if the local government requests direct assistance, FEMA can task the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) or the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to conduct debris removal. The USACE has contracted with private firms to perform debris removal, as have parish and local communities. The USCG is working with contractors to remove debris from commercial waterways. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been tasked to dispose of hazardous materials including household hazardous waste and hazardous materials contained within white goods in an environmentally sound manner.
Federal Coordinating Officer Scott Wells said, “The scope of debris operations for these disasters is unprecedented. I am pleased with how effectively federal, state and local officials are working together to clean up after the hurricane so affected communities can recover.”
Debris removal operations that may be eligible for reimbursement include:
- Public debris on a street or highway or other public right of ways
- Public debris on public property
- Debris on private property posing an immediate threat to public health and safety
- Debris on private property posing an immediate threat of significant damage to improved property
- Debris on private property hindering the economic recovery of the affected community to the benefit of the community at large
To date, more than 21.1 million cubic yards of debris have been removed by USACE and private contractors. Once removed, debris is disposed of in a number of ways. When necessary, some debris is deposited in landfills certified to handle hazardous waste. USACE is also grinding vegetative debris to reduce its volume. The remnants are then deposited in a landfill. EPA has also removed about two million pounds of HHW.
The EPA is also working with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to ensure that the disposal or burning of debris is done in an environmentally sound manner.
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 30-Nov-2005 17:11:59