Be Ready for the Next Disaster - Page 5

T IDALBAS INGROUP.COM 5 easily be tracked and separated from normal day-to-day costs. Let’s say a city is anticipating a severe stormwith a chance of four to six inches of rainfall forecast to hit the area by late afternoon. During normal working hours, the DPW road crews perform regularly scheduled maintenance and repair work then suddenly address a severe weather event. The daily work orders should have a specific code for this work that tracks the additional labor, equipment and any material used. The work order needs to show staff name(s), the hours responding to the event, the location, and the task performed by each person. This item could be coded by any chosen means. Equipment Inventory for Disaster Usage Reimbursement One of the first steps a municipal department can take in preparation for a disaster is to have a current and complete inventory of their equipment. This should include the type, year, make, model, capacity (if applicable), engine horsepower (if applicable), unit identification number, length of blade (if applicable), load capacity (trailers), etc. An example might be: County # 102 —Dump Truck – 2010 – Ford F-350 – 8 cyl. – 400 HP, etc. This will be very helpful when it comes time to formulate a Project Worksheet (PW) that includes the use of the equipment. FEMA will apply a cost code based on an established national rate for the use of equipment that includes operation, fuel, insurance, depreciation and maintenance. SLTTs may have established their own rates. FEMA may accept these rates up to $75.00 per hour. FEMA will consider rates exceeding $75.00 per hour if the SLTT can show that each component of the rate is comparable to the current market prices. Some applicants may have established hourly rates for their equipment’s usage. These local rates may be used, but FEMA will use the FEMA cost code if it is higher. If the local rate is higher and the applicant can show the basis for their rates, they may receive approval from FEMA. “One of the first steps a municipal department can take in preparation for a disaster is to have a current and complete inventory of their equipment.”