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FEMA Offers Guidance For Disaster Relief
The Clinton Avenue bridge over North Gully in the Village of Ellenville after Hurricane Irene. B&L assessed the condition of the bridge, recommended closure to ensure public safety, and designed repairs for contractor-led construction. We will be inspecting the work and issuing the necessary paperwork to reopen the bridge. B&L also supported FEMA requirements to maximize reimbursement.
At a recent meeting FEMA held for applicants of Public Assistance funding, FEMA representatives made the following suggestions:
- If there has been damage that requires a quick time horizon for repairs, FEMA suggests to proceed right away. The municipality should keep accurate records of all expenditures, including soft costs, use of municipal employees, rental of equipment, engineering, etc. They suggested municipalities proceed in the same way that they would if they were paying for the repairs themselves, in other words, “Engage your professionals, design the improvements, and bid them out.”
- Because the program is a reimbursement process, how will the municipality know what is approvable after the fact? Repairs should be made to bring the facilities back to the condition they were in prior to the storm event. The municipality should use generally accepted engineering standards.
- Proper documentation is key: A file will need to be set up for each separate repair project to include all documentation such as photos, timesheets, etc.
- Filling out the Request for Public Assistance Form and submitting to FEMA gets the municipality on the list for a site visit from FEMA/SEMO. At the time of the visit, provide as much documentation as possible to the FEMA/SEMO Team for review.
- Any project that will cost less than $63,900 is considered a “small project”. Over that amount is considered “large”. Small projects get reimbursed upon completion, 75% FEMA and 12.5% NYS, 12.5% local. For “large” projects, there can be progress payments. Quarterly Reports are required on “large” projects.
- There is a provision for “improved” projects such as adding bays to a fire house that was damaged. Or, “alternative” projects, such as purchasing fire equipment in lieu of fixing a damaged fire house.
- FEMA will deduct the amount equal to your insurance payment from the FEMA award. If the locale does not participate in the NFIP insurance program, FEMA will deduct the amount they project that you may have been eligible from the NFIP.
- Communication and coordination with FEMA/SEMO are key to maximizing funding.
Funding is also available through the Environmental Facilities Corporation's recently established Hurricane Emergency Loan Program (HELP), making available interest-free loans in amounts up to $1,000,000 for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure repairs. Applications must be submitted before December 31, 2011. For more information about HELP, visit our grant page here.
For other types of funding, New York State’s new Consolidated Funding Program has recently gone into effect with the first deadline for applications being October 31, 2011. More information on these changes is available on our grant page here.
In times of emergency, B&L can help you with:
- Emergency bridge and roadway repairs
- Dams breach evaluation
- Restoration of drinking water service after water main damage
- Drinking water treatment plant repairs
- Restoring wastewater treatment systems to use
- Stormwater/drainage system repairs and improvements
- Building structural evaluations
B&L can also helping you navigate FEMA’s funding requirements, prioritize projects, and seek out additional funding from other sources. For more information, contact any one of the following individuals:
Richard A. Straut, P.E. (518) 218-1801
Robert J. Sipzner, P.E. (518) 218-1801
Glenn Gidaly, AICP (845) 391-8360
Donald H. Fletcher, P.E. (518) 218-1801
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Army Corps Issues New Permit Guidelines for Emergency Repairs
The New York District of the Army Corps of Engineers has issued an announcement regarding permit requirements for activities related to the activities to remediate damage from the storms. The Corps expects that the majority of these remediation activities would be authorized under a general permit, which are issued on a nationwide or regional basis. NY District General Permit 15 (NYDGP-15) authorizes activities such as “the installation of structures and dredging in navigable waters and the discharge of dredged or fill material, including discharges associated with excavation activities, into waters of the United States to facilitate the remediation of sites that are damaged from major storms, subject to terms and permit conditions that ensure that activities cause only minimal individual and cumulative environmental impacts.”
It is important to note that some activities will still require written authorization prior to commencement of work, and that this easing of the USACOE permit requirements does not include any modifications that change the character, scope, or size of the original fill design. The Corps expects that emergency reconstruction will take place within a reasonable period of time after the damage has occurred in order to qualify for this exemption.
The public notice announcing the exemption is located here:
http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/harbor/
publicno/pdf/201100984.pdf
Copies of the NYDGP-15 are available from the New York District Office and via the internet at: http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/business
/buslinks/regulat/index.php?regional
Activities that do not fall under the scope of the NYDGP-15 may be authorized under one or more nationwide general permits. Copies of the Nationwide General Permits (NWP) are available via the internet at: http://www.usace.army.mil/CECW/
Documents/cecwo/reg/nwp/nwp_2007_final.pdf
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With the construction season coming to a close, some communities are in a race to secure funding and proceed with needed repairs, particularly on roadways, bridges and structural culverts affected by the recent storms. B&L’s bridge engineers have been on the ground, evaluating structures and transportation infrastructure compromised by high and rapid flow conditions, or by physical impact to the structure from floating debris. In certain cases, the municipality’s own forces can provide all or the majority of the needed repairs under the guidance of a licensed professional engineer.
B&L is helping municipalities:
- Inspect the damaged roadway or bridge to assess the viability of the infrastructure to remain open, to remain open under certain restrictions, or to be closed until repairs or replacement can be made.
- Determine if rehabilitation is a feasible alternative, or, if the structure is compromised to the extent that it must be considered for replacement.
- Help the municipality determine if their own forces have the skills and equipment necessary to perform the needed repair or replacement work.
- Provide a construction plan to the municipality or contract to perform the work when the work is beyond their capabilities or when the short construction window of opportunity so mandates.
- Provide inspection services during the construction of the work to verify that the repairs are performed as intended.
- Inspect the completed repairs and submit, if appropriate, the required paperwork to NYSDOT to reopen the structure.
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Hazard Mitigation Planning: Avoid Disaster with Pre-Planning and Improvements
By Michael R. Brother
FEMA is accepting applications for funding consideration under the FY12 HMA Grant Programs until December 2, 2011 at 3:00pm EST.
As we’ve seen this past summer, New York is not immune to the disasters often suffered by the Southern United States or the Midwest. Destructive winds and rain from Hurricane Irene during the early hours of August 28, followed closely by the soaking rains of Tropical Storm Lee, wreaked immense havoc on many New York communities. There was even a confirmed tornado touchdown near the City of Amsterdam in early September.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has established grant programs so that communities can protect themselves from disasters and break the cycle of “damage-rebuild-damage”. In order to receive federal mitigation grant funding from these programs (administered by state emergency management agencies), local governments must be a participant in a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP). Grants are available for up to 75% of the cost of developing the HMP. The community’s match can be provided by way of personnel and services. Grants for implementation of mitigation projects are typically also on a 75/25 basis, although some programs provide funding on a 90/10 basis.
B&L recently coordinated the development of a single jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan for the Village of Ellenville in Ulster County, which has experienced more emergency and disaster declarations than any other county in New York State in the 10-year period from 1996 to 2006.
Major FEMA grant programs include:
The Severe Repetitive Loss Program (SRL). This is an annually funded program with the goal of reducing flood damages to residential properties that have experienced severe and repeated losses under flood insurance coverage.
HMGP funding relies upon federal assistance provided for disaster recovery under individual emergency declarations, while PDM, FMA, RFC, and SRL funding is annually appropriated by Congress.
- HMPs identify risks and vulnerabilities and prioritize mitigation measures to address the most significant risks. Once an approved plan is in place, the community may apply for mitigation project funding whenever a disaster declaration is issued in NYS, even if the declared disaster did not occur in the local jurisdiction.
- State and local HMPs satisfy both state and federal requirements.
- Hazard Mitigation planning identifies potential mitigation measures, develops planning level costs, and prioritizes mitigation projects.
- HMPs utilize environmental science, GIS, land planning, and engineering. With all of these services available in-house, B&L is able to economically assist with HMP development and/or updates as we have for the Village of Ellenville (Ulster), Town of Deerpark (Orange), and Oswego and Sullivan Counties.
- Public outreach is a major, required component of developing the plan as it involves and informs the community in both the preparation and the implementation of the HMP.
- HMPs include a plan for implementation, monitoring, and updates. Through grant funds available under the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, most communities across New York are now participants in a local or multi-jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Eligible hazard mitigation projects include the following (click on the chart below to view a larger version):
FEMA is accepting applications for funding consideration under the FY12 HMA Grant Programs until December 2, 2011 at 3:00pm EST. Now is the time to consider your community’s potential needs and the benefits that could accrue from implementing your Hazard Mitigation Plan. While this year’s hurricane season is winding down and not anticipated to strike the northeast again this year, many communities still have to brace for debilitating ice storms or blizzards, as well as flooding from massive amounts of springtime melting snow or heavy rains.
For more information, contact Michael Brother at (845) 391-8360.
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