FEMA Extends Debris Removal Deadline
Release Date: March 10, 2005
Release Number: 1539-400
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that it would provide financial assistance to Florida counties for debris removal from public rights-of-way through April 20. The extension was made because of health and safety concerns in the disaster-stricken counties.
“As we continued surveying the problems facing the most seriously affected counties, we noted the large volume of debris remaining on public roads that represents a health and safety risk,” said Bill Carwile, federal coordinating officer for Recovery Operations. “The new deadline gives communities another six weeks to clear the debris so these counties can continue their recovery.”
FEMA will reimburse local agencies for 90 percent of the cost of removing debris from public roads. Local officials said the original deadlines for removal of debris from public rights of way had expired with a tremendous amount of debris remaining in certain areas.
The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) is a collaboration of Florida’s state 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 impacts. Visit www.floridadisaster.org for the latest information on the hurricane relief efforts.
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 and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Friday, 11-Mar-2005 10:20:58