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Chapter 8: Moving Beyond Immediate Needs

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Microsoft, Inc.

Disaster Response and Recovery Second Edition

DISASTER RESPONSE AND RECOVERY Strategies and Tactics for Resilience

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Damage Assessment

• Damage assessment is the process of identifying the extent of destruction, including individual impact as well as overall economic losses in the community

• It helps identify needs and bring resources to the area

• It is required for federal assistance • It determines whether structures are

habitable • It may assist in designation of hazardous

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Photo used by permission of FEMA.

Types of Assessment

• Rapid • Preliminary • Technical

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Photo used by permission of FEMA.

Assessment Methods

• Windshield • Aerial • Walk through/

site visit

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Challenges

• Accuracy • Working with others • Access & Safety

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Assessment Procedures

• Pre-assessment • Post-assessment – Hold meetings – Inform others of – Plan routes results

• During assessment – Utilize color code

schemes – Rely on experts – Use technology – Ensure accuracy

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Disaster Declarations

• A disaster declaration is a statement that the community or state cannot respond effectively without outside assistance

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Declaration Process

• City assesses damages and requests state help, if warranted, by talking to the governor

• State verifies impact and requests outside help, if warranted, by talking to the FEMA regional office

• FEMA regional office verifies impact and shares information with headquarters

• FEMA headquarters shares information with the president

• If warranted, the president declares a disaster to make federal assistance available

• If not warranted, FEMA declines the request for federal assistance

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Difficulties of the Process

• An example from Hurricane Andrew – Local and state government could not

respond alone – President George H. W. Bush promised help – Local and state officials claimed federal

government was slow to respond – Damage assessment numbers were not

given to FEMA quickly – Was the local government overwhelmed or

was the federal government too rigid?

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Factors for Declarations

• Homes destroyed or • Availability of assistance damaged from other federal

• Concentration or agencies dispersion of damages • State and local capabilities

• Estimated costs of repairs for dealing with the event • Demographics of area • Possibility of assistance

from charities• Insurance coverage • Presence of housing• Psychological trauma • Degree of health and • Extent of disaster-related

safety problemsunemployment • Damage to essential

service facilities

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Important Information

• Letters and supporting documentation are needed

• Most declarations are issued after a disaster, but some can be given in advance

• Emergency declarations differ from disaster declarations

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Photo used by permission of FEMA.

Disaster Debris

• 18,000 mobile homes destroyed in North Carolina by Hurricane Floyd

• 500,000 cubic yards of debris collected after Oklahoma tornadoes

• 95,100 tons of debris disposed of after the Northridge earthquake

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Types of Debris

• Damaged buildings and building content

• Sediments • Green waste • Personal property • Ash and charred wood

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Debris Management

• Debris management is the collection, sorting, storage, transportation, and disposal or recycling of rubble, destroyed materials, and other wastes associated with a disaster

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Challenges

• Can slow down response • Affects mental well-being, safety, public

health, and the environment • Is very expensive • Is time consuming • Is difficult to oversee • Other issues

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Dealing with Debris

• Chip vegetative debris • Crush aggregate debris • Recycle construction and demolition

debris • Burn debris • Put someone in charge of this function • Store debris in appropriate location if

needed • Protect the environment

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Photo used by permission of FEMA.

EPA Recommendation

• Consider mutual aid agreements

• Implement recycling program

• Develop a communication strategy

• Anticipate increased outreach and enforcement staffing needs

• Obtain equipment and storage sites

• Determine options and goals

• Segregate hazardous waste • Prepare contracts • Plan for FEMA and state

reimbursement

s

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Regulations

• Reimbursed if: • Ineligible if: – Direct result of disaster – Debris is not from – Found in designated affected area

area – Sediment from channels – Removal will minimize is not a result of the

threats to lives and disaster public health – Debris is on private roads

– Reduces additional and in gated damage to public or communities private property – Yard waste comes from

– Helps the economic unmaintained lots recovery of the area – Construction debris

results from contractors

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Other Considerations

• Reducing expenses • Preventing fraud – Lump-sum contracts – Look out for ineligible – Unit price contracts debris, water in trucks,

inaccurate truck load – Time and material capacities, contracts double-counting, trucks re-entering disposal sites

– Take photographs or monitor contractors

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Summary

• Damages must be calculated in a safe manner. At this point, you can seek outside assistance through a federal disaster declaration. Debris will also have to be disposed of correctly.

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Key Terms

• Aerial assessment • Rapid assessment • Aggregate debris • Technical assessment • Construction and • Time and material

demolition debris contracts • Damage assessment • Unit price contracts • Debris management • Vegetative debris • Disaster declaration • Walk through or site • Lump-sum contracts visit • Preliminary • Windshield

assessment assessment

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