https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Safety


Article

The key to getting federal aid for disaster recovery

The key to getting federal aid for disaster recovery

Proper documentation proves critical to unlocking FEMA funding for disaster relief.
  • Written by
  • 13th December 2011

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and unprecedented storms did not go easy on overburdened state and local governments this year. As a result, many communities turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to obtain federal funds for disaster relief and learned, sometimes the hard way, getting those coveted dollars depends heavily on proper documentation.

In Connecticut, a late-October nor’easter downed trees, tangling and pulling down power lines, blocking roads, and leaving more than 800,000 residents without electricity for up to 10 days. Following the storm, Governor Dannel Malloy requested a major disaster declaration from President Obama that would make cities eligible for up to a 75 percent reimbursement for labor and equipment costs for debris removal.

When the declaration came through mid-November, municipal leaders rushed to hire outside contractors to assist their own crews in tackling the massive debris cleanup. “There wasn’t any Army Corp of Engineers or FEMA model to estimate brush removal costs, and when we tried to estimate yardage and material costs ourselves, we found out we were way off,” says Fred Shaw, superintendent of pollution control for South Windsor, Conn.

The town turned to two seasoned contracting firms with state contracts that had not only the specialized debris pickup equipment that the town lacked but also the expertise in working with FEMA to properly monitor and document the volume of material collected and disposed. “The monitoring people were out there right behind the bucket trucks with camera crews recording data and typing in GPS coordinates,” Shaw says. “We learned how important it is to have properly trained personnel with a system for monitoring. Accountability is key when you are looking for reimbursement funds.”

In Louisa County, Va., where a 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August damaged nearly 1,000 homes, emergency management personnel were surprised to learn FEMA originally nixed a request for federal aid to individuals who experienced losses from the quake. “On the public infrastructure side of the equation, there’s a formula that determines whether aid will be given, but it’s less clear for individuals,” says Bob Spieldenner, director of public affairs for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.

Speildenner says that typically FEMA personnel will visit the affected area to see the worst damages, and that preliminary assessment is what drives their decisions. In Louisa County’s case, the nature of the damages were not easy to see, and the preliminary assessment found the numbers for damages did not rise to the level for federal dollars.

An appeal from Governor Bob McDonnell, which included a county-created database with information on damages to foundations and chimneys from aftershocks and rain events, resulted in a change of heart from FEMA, and the county was approved for federal funds. “If we are slow to ask FEMA for help, the perception is that we don’t need it so badly,” Spieldenner says. “But you really have to take the time to do the proper documentation. The better, more visible the information provided, the better chance you have of getting approved,” he says.

Annie Gentile is a Vernon, Conn.-based freelance writer.

Tags: Bonus Content Economy Public Safety Article

Most Recent


  • Nevada police department, medical school, partner to train officers in emergency first aid
    Amid the disturbing rise of mass shootings over the last few decades (most recently, the tragedy in Highland Park, Ill. over the holiday weekend), police and law enforcement organizations across the United States—regardless of size—are at the front line of defense. Standard operating procedures and training norms have likewise evolved to meet the modern day […]
  • Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come
    When the pandemic struck in 2020, public retention was hit hard: jobs in local government plummeted by 8.5 percent; state employment dropped by 4.4 percent. Two years later, local and state government jobs have rebounded by about half—to 4.1 and 1.9 percent below pre-pandemic levels respectively, according to a new report from Mission Square Research […]
  • Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
    Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses
    After two years of ping-pong lockdown orders, mask mandates, unprecedented vaccine drives and economic uncertainty, cities across the United States are beginning to emerge in the pandemic’s aftermath, and they’re prioritizing infrastructure, according to a report published Wednesday by the National League of Cities (NLC).  “The new normal, as we now understand it, is here,” […]
  • FirstNet Authority CTO highlights coverage-extension efforts as initial Band 14 buildout nears completion
    With AT&T almost done deploying the initial contracted FirstNet 700 MHz Band 14 infrastructure, the FirstNet Authority increasingly is focusing on solutions that will let public-safety users access the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) when outside of terrestrial system, according to FirstNet officials. FirstNet Authority CTO Jeff Bratcher said that NPSBN contractor AT&T repeatedly has […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • Preventing cyber-attacks needs to be a priority for local governments
  • Building community and officer wellness through data sharing
  • California city combines advanced technology with dedicated public safety team for comprehensive emergency management

White papers


How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Centering the citizen experience through digital transformations in government dlvr.it/STPSyV

5th July 2022
AmerCityCounty

Nevada police department, medical school, partner to train officers in emergency first aid dlvr.it/STPJ2k

5th July 2022
AmerCityCounty

Supreme Court ruling on EPA greenhouse gas regulation will impact cities dlvr.it/STBwkw

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

Sustainability initiatives take center stage in Florida county dlvr.it/STBvwN

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

10 best cities for July Fourth celebrations dlvr.it/STBfHt

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

The Missing Link in Cloud Security dlvr.it/STBXNL

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

Improving Productivity with Employee Engagement | Aug. 4, 2022 at 2 PM ET dlvr.it/STBCD5

1st July 2022
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Please take this brief survey and let us know how your organization is managing your budg… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

30th June 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X