Keeping Control of Debris Removal
and Recovery

When the storm has passed, the fire has been put out, or the shaking has stopped, how does a community clean up and get back to normal?

Whatever the origin of a disaster—wind, earthquake, arson, flooding, landslides, carelessness, or terrorist—the one constant is the debris that is left behind. How a community deals with the debris removal and recovery process has a lot to do with how well it meets the challenge of preserving the safety of its citizens and restoring the normal pattern of life.

Developing a Strategic Approach

Once the imminent danger of an event passes, removing debris becomes a top priority. When Hurricane Isabel’s high winds and rain left nearly 2 million cubic yards of vegetative, construction, and demolition debris strewn through Chesapeake, Virginia, in late 2003, the PBS&J emergency response team went into high gear, developing and implementing a strategy that would organize the removal efforts.

“The first phase of cleanup we call The Push,” explains Johnny DeLoach, program manager in PBS&J’s Risk and Emergency Management Division. “It involves getting the roads cleared so that critical routes are accessible. These are the routes that accommodate life-saving actions—routes to locations like shelters, hospitals, police and fire departments. Speed is essential.”

One of Chesapeake’s two debris removal contractors was assigned specifically to clear those key arteries. Armed with a schedule and a plan of where to go and what to do, the task was accomplished in only a couple of weeks.

To clean up the remaining debris, the debris that DeLoach says “hinders the orderly recovery of the community,” both contractors worked from a plan that divided the city into quadrants and provided a detailed schedule to maximize their efficiency. As a result, according to DeLoach, “the major portion of the operation was completed in less than three months.”

PBS&J also mobilized its experienced emergency response personnel to staff recovery centers in San Diego and San Bernardino counties following the devastating 2003 southern California wildfires. An overall strategy for recovery and cleanup coordinated the activities of 12 demolition and debris removal contractors.

Here, hot lines were set up to handle private property owner concerns, and a document tracking system was maintained for right-of-entry and hold-harmless agreements, which were obtained from the property owners and allowed contractors to access properties for cleanup.

An innovative, on-line, GIS-based system was used to monitor claims, cleanup activities, and overall progress. Digital photographs were archived to create a visual record of the damage and recovery effort.

Dealing with the Debris

Concurrent with the issue of removing debris is the necessity to dispose of it. Because debris from a major disaster can quickly overburden local landfills, efforts should be made to reduce the amount of material that has to be disposed of. In San Diego and San Bernardino counties, for example, recycling was the method of choice used to reduce the more than 10,000 tons of debris from the 2003 wildfires, which swept across more than 300,000 acres within the two counties. Other methods can include grinding and burning.

Eventually, temporary storage sites have to be emptied of all material and restored to their original conditions. “To ensure that no long-term environmental contamination is left on the site after the debris is removed, environmental monitoring should be performed on ash, soil, and groundwater,” says DeLoach.

Funding the Recovery

For smaller emergencies, debris clearance, removal, and disposal can be handled at the local level using community resources augmented by assistance from neighboring communities. But major disasters require help from state and federal sources.

“Many administrators believe federal assistance is fast, simple, and open-ended, and it’s none of those,” says DeLoach. “Without the proper knowledge and a thorough plan of action, the post-disaster response is going to be unnecessarily chaotic and much less effective.”

Hit by two major ice storms within a three-month time span, North Carolina recognized the complexity of the task at hand, and took quick action. More than 300 PBS&J inspectors were called into action by the state’s department of transportation to monitor debris activities and coordinate with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) inspectors on eligibility issues. A specialized team was assigned to manage grants for the state from both FEMA and FHWA for all counties declared as disaster areas in North Carolina.

A geospatial management system supported the process, automating the tracking of debris quantities removed and road segments completed to FEMA. This type of strict record keeping is essential for FEMA to quantify and audit the debris management process and qualify communities for maximum reimbursement of disaster funds.

“Plus, by tying data and activities to their locations on a map, the North Carolina Department of Transportation was able to visualize the removal process in near real-time — to view progress on a daily basis,” explains PBS&J Director of Information Solutions Donna Huey, who leads the group that developed the customized system. “The affected public benefits by receiving accurate and timely information on cleanup.”

And the digital archive created by using the system will come in handy down the road, adds Huey, by providing valuable information for future disaster planning.

Preparation is the Key

Being prepared for disasters and their after-effects will help a community get back to “business as usual” quickly. To this end, PBS&J’s Risk and Emergency Management team recommends five critical, debris-related, predisaster planning actions:

• Determine potential types and amounts of debris based on past experience and using predictive software modeling tools.
  
• Identify temporary debris storage and reduction sites before the disaster.
  
• Develop a debris management plan with staff roles and responsibilities clearly delineated.
  
• Negotiate mutual aid agreements with local and county public works departments, with the responsibilities of each party and expected costs specified.
  
• Procure debris removal contractors on a stand-by basis.

Through these actions, a community will expedite recovery operations and, ultimately, better protect public health and safety.