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To receive credit for this course, you must:

Complete all of the lessons. Each lesson will take between 20 and 40 minutes to complete. It is important to allow enough time to complete the course in its entirety.

The goal for this course is to familiarize you with general debris removal operations and identify critical debris operations issues.

The topics addressed in this course include:

• Roles and Responsibilities for Debris Operations.
• Strategies and Procedures for Debris Removal.
• Key Issues for Debris Operations.

Click on this link to access lesson descriptions.

At the end of this course, you should be able to:

• List the eligibility criteria for participation in the Public Assistance Program.
• Identify the organizational structure for managing debris removal operations.
• Describe the types of debris created by disasters.
• Explain strategies for debris removal.
• Describe procedures for debris removal.
• Discuss the special issues associated with debris removal operations.

In this lesson, you will consider the concerns of disaster survivors dealing with debris removal issues and review the Public Assistance application process.

At the completion of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Describe Public Assistance, as it relates to debris removal.
• Identify issues associated with debris operations.

Public Assistance (PA) provides supplemental financial assistance to State, tribal, and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for response and recovery activities generated by a declared disaster.

Click on this link to see a detailed list of the eligible government entities.

Funding is cost shared at a Federal share of no less than 75 percent of the eligible costs incurred as a direct result of a declared disaster.

Public Entities Eligible for Public Assistance Grant

• States of the United States of America
• District of Columbia
• Territories of Guam, Virgin Islands, and American Samoa
• Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and Northern Mariana Islands
• Counties and parishes of States
• Regional and interstate government entities
• Councils of governments
• Cities and towns
• Municipalities and townships
• Local public authorities
• Agencies or instrumentalities of local governments
• School districts
• Rural or unincorporated communities represented by the State
• Special districts or regional authorities organized under State law

Tribal Governments Eligible for Public Assistance Grant

• Federally recognized tribal governments
• Alaska Native villages and organizations Close

Private nonprofit (PNP) organizations that own or operate a qualified facility that provides services of a governmental nature may be eligible.

For PNP facilities with mixed uses, the facility must be primarily used for eligible activities. "Primarily used" means that the facility space is used for eligible activities more than 50 percent of the time.

Click on this link for more information about eligibility requirements for private nonprofit organizations.

Eligibility means qualifying for and meeting the stipulated requirements of the Public Assistance Program. Pertinent regulations related to the eligibility of applicant, facility, work, and cost are contained in 44 Code of Federal Regulations Part 206 (44 CFR 206.226).

Applicants who are otherwise eligible for PA assistance may still be restricted by general eligibility factors covering facilities, scope of work, and cost.

These components of the eligibility criteria will be described on the following screens.

An eligible facility is a building, works, system, or equipment, or an improved and maintained natural feature, that is owned by an eligible public or PNP applicant. Eligible facilities must be:

• Located in the designated disaster area.
• The legal responsibility of an eligible applicant.
• In active use at the time of the disaster.

Unimproved property is not eligible for PA funding. Examples of unimproved property include agricultural land, a hillside or slope, forest, or a natural stream bank.

Public Assistance is not available when the damage is within the specific authority of another Federal program. For instance, this situation occurs when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collects and removes driftwood and debris from publicly maintained commercial harbors and adjacent land and water areas.

Eligible work must be in the public interest and be required as a direct result of a declared emergency. There are two broad categories of work:

• Emergency Work.
• Permanent Work.

Emergency Work includes:

• Category A - Debris Removal.
• Category B - Emergency Protective Measures.

Both of these will be discussed on the next screens.

Debris removal is the clearance, removal, and disposal of items and materials broken, destroyed, or displaced by a disaster. Wreckage produced while responding to the disaster is included in the debris removal category. Debris removal work is eligible when it:

• Eliminates immediate threats to life, public health, and safety.
• Eliminates immediate threats of significant damage to improved property.
• Ensures economic recovery of the affected community to benefit the community at large.

Debris removal operations are the focus for the other lessons in this course.

Emergency protective measures are actions taken by a community before, during, and after a disaster to:

• Save lives.
• Protect public health and safety.
• Prevent damage to improved property.

Examples of eligible emergency measures include:

• Sandbagging.
• Water treatment facility repairs.
• Construction of temporary levees.
• Provision of shelters and emergency mass care.

Public Assistance is awarded through grants administered by the State, considered the grantee. In some situations, an Indian tribal government may be the grantee. Some State regulations prohibit the State from acting as grantee for an Indian tribe. In such cases, or upon the tribe’s choice, a tribal government may act as its own grantee.

The grantee is accountable for the use of the funds and is responsible for disbursing those funds to the subgrantees, or applicants.

PA Program applicants include:

• State agencies, such as the Department of Transportation.
• Local governments, such as towns, cities, and counties.
• Federally recognized Indian tribal governments and Alaskan Native villages and organizations.
• Private nonprofit (PNP) organizations that provide essential services for government agencies.

Debris removal is one of the largest and most implemented categories of PA projects. A proactive approach is needed to ensure overall understanding of debris removal eligibility and operations. PA applicants need to understand:

• How much debris there is and the mix of debris.
• What is eligible for reimbursement.
• What costs are considered reasonable.
• The type of contracts that can be awarded.
• The monitoring requirements.
• What technical assistance is available from FEMA.

The remainder of this course will address these concerns and focus on management of debris operations.

When a major disaster strikes, lives and essential services are severely disrupted.

Debris generated by the disaster causes greater problems as citizens and communities struggle to provide emergency access, resume essential services, and restore utilities and other critical infrastructure.

Where can local, State, and tribal governments turn for help when debris removal requirements overwhelm their available resources?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can provide assistance with debris removal and restoration of other essential services through its Public Assistance — or PA — program.

FEMA may provide assistance with debris removal when it is necessary to eliminate immediate threats to life, public health, and safety, eliminate immediate threats of significant damage to improved public or private property, ensure economic recovery of the affected community, or mitigate the risk to life and property by removing structures and converting the land for specified uses.

Under certain circumstances, debris removal assistance may be provided to private nonprofit organizations.

This course will introduce debris removal operations and strategies and highlight special issues to consider during debris removal operations. Close

In recent years, debris removal operations have accounted for approximately 27 percent of disaster recovery costs. Eligible applicants need to plan for and understand:

• How debris removal operations are organized.
• Strategies for picking up, hauling, reducing, recycling, and disposing of debris.
• Proper ways of addressing debris-related health and safety threats, such as hazardous waste.
• Requirements for reimbursement.

Each of these will be covered in future lessons.

This lesson introduced the course objectives and identified key concepts of debris operations and how it works within the Public Assistance Program.

Lesson 2 will address the organizational structure for debris operations.