BY M ATT W E R N E R

DEBRIS MANAGEMENT PLANNING & PUBLIC ASSISTANCE

WINSTED, CT (1955)

MAIN STREET FLOODING

M&M SERVICES

JOPLIN, MO / MOORE, OK

HURRICANE SANDY

MORE SANDY

PHILADELPHIA

TONS OF DEBRIS

Disaster Debris (Philadelphia Area)

Event Date Location Debris Cubic Yards

Hurricane Hazel 1954 Philadelphia Area Trees 375,000

Tropical Storm Allison 2001 Philadelphia Area Building 350,000

Great October Gale 1878 Philadelphia Area Building 280,000

Hurricane Floyd 1999 Philadelphia Area Mixed 160,000

Meridian Plaza Fire 1991 Philadelphia, PA Fire 130,000

Hurricane Sandy 2012 Philadelphia, PA Trees 5,000

Annual City Debris

Source Date Location Debris Cubic Yards

City of Philadelphia Streets Sanitation

2011 Philadelphia, PA Rubbish 2,800,000

PWD Bio-solids Recycling 2011 Philadelphia, PA Bio-solids 600,000

City of Philadelphia Construction & Demolition Debris

2011 Philadelphia, PA C&D 587,000

City of Philadelphia Streets Sanitation

2011 Philadelphia, PA Recycling 400,000

WHY PLAN FOR DEBRIS?

$8 Billion

THRESHOLDS

Declaration Type of Assistance Threshold Time to Request

Emergency Declaration

Category B, Direct Federal Assistance

Varies, no pre-established thresholdTypically prior to or within days

of impact

Major Disaster Declaration

Public Assistance

State: $17,656,307 (FY2014)Within 30 days

of eventPhiladelphia: $5,341,021 (FY2014)

Individual Assistance Varies, no pre-established thresholdWithin 30 days

of event

SBA Declaration

Physical Disaster Loan25 households or businesses with at

least 40% uninsured lossesWithin 60 days

of event

Economic Injury Loan5 businesses with at least 40% of

economic losses, as compared with same period from the prior year

Within 120 days of event

$19 Million

$12 Million

CHALLENGES

• Complexity• Coordination• Public Expectations• Reimbursement• Community Recovery

FEMA DEBRIS GUIDELINES

• Poses a threat to life, public health, or safety• Located on public property or in the ROW• Generated by a major disaster event• Removal ensures economic recovery• Removal costs are “reasonable” / competitive• Responsibility of the applicant

• Complete all debris activities within 6 months!

PLANNING PITFALLS

CAUTION

• FEMA 325 (“The Debris Bible”)• Google• “Best practices”• Templates

PROBLEM VS. SOLUTION

Be careful not to develop the wrong right answer.

CREEPING ALONG

POOR PLANNING = POOR OUTCOMES

LESSONS BORROWED

ECONOMICS

PLANNING VARIABLES

• Staffing• Equipment• Time• Space• Expertise

• Contractors• Non-Profit• State Agencies• Federal Agencies• Complex Rules

ECONOMICS & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

• Using limited resources efficiently?• Maximizing potential resources to scale up?• Leveraging our staff?• Creating partnerships to enhance capabilities?• Developing more flexible and responsive

systems?• Building redundancy into our plans?

• Convene the right people• Ask the difficult questions• Develop new partnerships• Address the gaps• Implement at all levels• Continuous improvement

VALUE ADDED APPROACH

PHILADELPHIA’S APPROACH

PEER REVIEW

• Gulf Coast States• Midwest “Tornado Alley”• Houston Region• Hampton Roads

DEBRIS IN PHILADELPHIA

Debris Types

• C&D• Trees• Soil/Mud• Inlets• HazMat• Garbage• E-Waste• Snow• Putrescent

Agencies

• L&I• Parks• Streets – Highways• Streets – Sanitation • Water• Utilities• Contractors• Volunteers

ROLE OF PUBLIC WORKS

DEBRIS GROUP

PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Performance Goals• Pre-Event• Response• Recovery

DECISION POINTS

• “Break Points”• Event Type• Space• Equipment• Contractors• Functional• Expertise

OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES

1. Interagency Coordination

2. City Executive Leadership Coordination

3. Debris Clearance

4. Debris Estimation

5. Public Property / Right-of-Way Debris Removal

6. Waterway Debris Removal

7. Hauling & Permitting

8. Private Property Demolitions

9. Debris Staging, Reduction, & Disposal

10.Contracting & Monitoring

11.Public Information

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

• Temporary Debris Site Locations• Transfer Station / Landfill Assessments• Historical & Private Property Debris• Regional Initiatives

LESSONS LEARNED

DESIGN REFLECTS INTENT

“Design is the first signal of human intention.”

– William McDonough

PLANS DO NOT MATTER

“The presence of plans has no correlation to the improvement in disaster response. None.”

-Managing Chaos: A Disaster Planner’s Handbook (2013)

IMPROVEMENT IS CONTINUOUS

• Debris is messy and complex• Every event is a teaching moment• Peers and private sector can inspire• Public expects and deserves the best

MEASURING SUCCESS?

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

• Have we helped our stakeholders?• Have we maximized the use of resources?• Have we addressed the key gaps identified?• Have we met our response / recovery metrics?• What have we learned from recent events?• How can we do better?

• Are we setting our stakeholders up for success?

INSPIRATION THROUGH PLANS

• Maximize the value to our stakeholders by:

• Asking the difficult questions• Maximizing the use of resources• Enhancing partnerships• Expedite recovery timelines

LET’S NOT BECOME A CLICHÉ

THANK YOU