Recovery Disaster Recovery Updates

1
Recovery Disaster Recovery Updates

2
Agenda

• Current Thresholds
• Hurricane Sandy Recovery Act
• PA Debris Changes
• Mutual Aid Agreements
• Grant Contracting
• Miscellaneous Policies

3
Current FEMA Thresholds for FFY 2014

• Public Assistance statewide per capita impact
  indicator for FFY 2014 is 1.39
• For the State of North Carolina - 13,254,321.37
• County per Capita is _at_ 3.50
• Maximum amount for a Small Project Grant is
  68,500.00

4
Current FEMA Thresholds for FFY 2014

• For IA Adjustment of the Maximum Amount of
  Assistance under the Individuals and Households
  Program increased from 31,900.00 to 32,400.00

5
Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013

• Include Child Care as eligible expense under ONA
• Expand post disaster housing methods
• Review HM to seek ways to fund faster
• Review ways to expedite environmental and
  historical reviews
• Develop a national strategy for reducing cost of
  future disasters
• Others

• Tribal Request for Disaster Declaration under the
  Stafford Act
• Public Assistance Alternative Procedures
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Update the factors considered in IA declaration
  process

6
Tribal Request for Disaster Declaration

• Sought by FEMA to strengthen its
  government-to-government relationships with
  tribal governments
• Under this amendment, the Chief Executive of an
  Indian Tribal Government is able to submit a
  request for a declaration by the President.
• Tribal government is not prohibited from
  receiving assistance under a declaration made by
  the President at the request of the governor

7
Changes to the Individual Assistance Program

• Update the factors considered in IA declaration
  process
• Factors have not been adjusted since they first
  appeared in regulation in 1999

8
Child Care

• Child Care as an eligible expense under the Other
  Needs Assistance (ONA) program.
• ONA is emergency assistance that helps a family
  or individual address immediate needs.
• The provision adds child care to a list of
  eligible activities that currently includes
  medical, dental and funeral expenses.
• ONA are cost-shared with the state on a 75
  federal, 25 state basis

9
Federal Assistance to Individuals and Households

• Lease and Repair of Rental Units for Temporary
  Housing
• Provides FEMA with another tool for helping
• to house individuals in their home area
• While also making expenditures in that same area
  that can contribute to the overall recovery

10
Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013

• Public Assistance Alternative Procedures
• Authorizes several significant changes to the way
  FEMA may deliver assistance through PA program
• Debris Removal (Category A)
• Permanent Work (Categories C-G)
• Participation is voluntary (per project)

11
Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 for PA

• Debris Removal
• Reimbursement of straight time force account
  labor
• Financial incentive for FEMA-approved Debris
  Management Plan at least one pre-qualified
  debris contractor one-time 2 fed share increase
  first 90 days
• Retain income from recycling without grant offset
• Sliding scale for debris removal cost share to
  incentivize faster/more efficient debris removal
  (days from start of incident period)
• 0-30 days 85 federal cost share 31-90 days
  80 federal cost share 91-180 days 75 federal
  cost share
• Beyond 180 days not eligible unless time
  extension
• granted by FEMA
• Each component independent (choose any, all, or
  none)

12
Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 for PA

• Permanent Work and for large projects only
• Allows grants based on fixed estimates
  applicant accepts responsibility for actual cost
  over-runs above estimate
• Allows applicants to use excess funds for
  activities that reduce risk in future disasters
  and other activities to improve future PA
  operations
• Consolidation of multiple fixed grants (across
  categories)
• Eliminates grant reduction for Alternate
  Projects
• Allows FEMA to accept the mutually agreed upon
  certified cost estimates prepared by applicants
  licensed engineers
• Applicants may request FEMA-funded independent
  validation of project estimates with estimated
  federal share of at least 5 million
• Must accept fixed estimate to use other
  components

13
Unified Federal Review

• Revises the Stafford Act to create a new Section
  429 and would require the President, in
  consultation with the Council on Environmental
  Quality (CEQ) and the Advisory Council on
  Historic Preservation, to establish a Unified
  Federal Review process to address potential
  delays related to federal compliance with
  requirements applicable to activities associated
  with disaster recovery projects.

14
Changes to the Hazard Mitigation Program

• Streamlined Procedures - requires the utilization
  of streamlined procedures in order to provide
  assistance more rapidly.

15
Hurricane Sandy Recovery Act Other Changes

• Dispute Resolution Pilot Program
• Strategy for Reducing Costs of Future Disasters

16
Field Operations Changes PA

• Group Project worksheets together
• By Facility
• Category of Work
• Real time payments for very large projects
• Large projects may have multiple obligations

17
Debris Policies Changes

• Debris Removal on Federal-Aid Highway
• In a Stafford Act Declaration debris removal on
  Federal-aid highways are eligible for FEMA PA
  funding
• This change only applies for debris removal
• Areas that are not declared will not receive FEMA
  funding

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Debris Removal from Waterways

• Reasonably necessary to eliminate an immediate
  threat to life, public health and safety OR
• b. Located immediately up/down stream or in close
  proximity to improved property and which poses an
  immediate threat of significant damage to that
  property AND
• c. The other Federal agency is not providing
  assistance for the activity.

19
Debris from a Water Control Facilities

• Restoration of carrying or storage capacity of
  engineered channels and debris basins may be
  eligible.
• Maintenance records of surveys must be produced
  to the pre-disaster capacity
• Such a facility must also have had a regular
  clearance schedule to be consider an actively
  used and maintained facility.
• Only the removal of disaster related debris is
  eligible

20
Mutual Aid Agreements for PA and FMAG

• The State or Requesting Entities, as appropriate,
  must provide an executive summary of the services
  requested and received and the associated costs
  (i.e., labor, equipment, materials, etc.).
• Both Requesting and Providing Entities must keep
  detailed records of the services requested and
  received, and maintain those records for at least
  three years after project closeout.

21
Mutual Aid continued

• A request for reimbursement of mutual aid costs
  should include a written and signed certification
  by the Requesting Entity certifying
• a. The types and extent of mutual aid assistance
  requested and received in the performance of
  eligible work
• b. The labor and equipment rates used to
  determine the mutual aid cost reimbursement
  request and
• c. That all work performed was eligible under the
  Stafford Act and applicable FEMA regulations and
  policies.

22
Mutual Aid - continued

• For PA only, reimbursement for equipment provided
  to a Requesting Entity will be based on FEMA
  equipment rates, approved State rates or, in the
  absence of such standard rates, on rates deemed
  reasonable by FEMA.
• Equipment used can be reimbursed as outlined in
  the terms of the agreement or for hours
  utilized/in performance of eligible work.

23
Trees and Plantings Associated with Eligible
Facilities

• Grass and sod replacement if it is an integral
  part of the repair or replacement of the eligible
  recreational facility
• Plantings when they are part of the restoration
  of an eligible facility for the purposes of
  stabilizing slopes
• Plantings required for the mitigation of
  environmental impacts, such as impacts to
  wetlands or endangered species habitat.

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Questions

• Joe Stanton
• joe.stanton_at_ncdps.gov
• 919.218.6325