Disaster Recovery Today (DRT) Issue 4012, Proper Debris Management —Key to Disaster Recovery and FEMA Assistance, provided valuable guidance in understanding and managing debris removal operations — and the importance of having a debris management removal plan integrated into your overall recovery plan. Adopting these strategies could help maximize and retain the needed debris removal funding received from a presidentially declared event.
While the information in that article is still relevant in substance today, the FEMA Public Assistance (PA) Program policy and procedures have changed — affecting the responsibilities of eligible applicants and funding. In this issue, Skip Cerminaro, senior disaster recovery manager for Tidal Basin Group, highlights those changes and additional policy guidance pertaining to debris removal.
(Note: It’s recommended that Disaster Recovery Today Issue 4012 first be read as a prerequisite to this article: https:// tidalbasingroup.com/publications/ disaster-recovery-today/proper- debris-management/).
The Public Assistance Program’s policies and procedures are constantly assessed and updated to bring about more consistency in streamlining the recovery process. The Robert T. Stafford Act, signed into law November 23, 1988, amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 to provide federal assistance to state, tribal and local governments affected by a major disaster or emergency. Following Hurricane Sandy, the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act (SRIA) became law on January 29, 2013, amending the Stafford Act. The latter made improvements to streamline recovery procedures, increase applicant flexibility, save time and money — including administrative costs, and enhance communities’ resilience against future disasters.
Tracking Public Assistance Policy Changes and Their Effect on Debris Removal