H-GAC 2019 Webinar/Workshop Series

1. H-GAC 2019 Webinar/Workshop Series Wildfire and Other Debris-Generating Incidents • Webinar Date: • July 30, 2019 • Time: • 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 A.m.

2. H-GAC 2019 Webinar/Workshop Series

3. Agenda • Discuss Debris Management Considerations: • Wildfires • Tornadoes • Terrorism Incidents

4. Part 1: Wildfires and Debris Management

5. Wildfire Statistics • The State of Texas ranks as the second most dangerous state for wildfires (second to California).

6. Wildfire Statistics • Texas outranked California for numbers of fires in 2018.

7. Wildfire Statistics • 80 percent of wildfires occur within two miles of a community. • 90 percent of wildfires are caused by people. • Unattended campfires • Burning of debris • Downed power lines • Discarded cigarettes • Intentional actions of arson • 10 percent are started by lightning or lava. https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-wildfires

8. Wildfire Risk to H-GAC Counties • Texas Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal shows areas at risk from wildfire. Very Low Low Moderate High Very High https://www.texaswildfirerisk.com/map/Public#whats-your-risk

9. Tri-County Fire • Burned approximately 18,960 acres in Waller, Grimes, and Montgomery Counties. • Began September 5, 2011. • Ended September 15, 2011. • Gusty winds and dry air on the northwest flank of Tropical Storm Lee helped to ignite the Riley Rd. Fire. • 23 structures were damaged and 76 were destroyed. • $7 million in property damages.

10. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas 2011 Wildfire Bastrop County Wildfire, 2011. Photo Credit: Kerri West

11. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas Wildfire • Bastrop Conditions • Fire started Sept. 4, 2011 • Caused by downed power lines • Tropical Storm Lee caused 30 mph winds • Most destructive single wildfire in Texas history • 34,000 acres burned • 1,667 homes destroyed (1,213 survived in the burn area) • 38 nonresidential structures destroyed • 5,000 (+/-) people displaced from destroyed homes • 2 fatalities • 1.5 million trees killed

12. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas 2011 Wildfire

13. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas 2011 Wildfire

14. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas Wildfire • Debris Streams • Dangerous trees • White goods • Vehicles • Ash • Concrete slabs • Less construction and demolition (C&D) debris

15. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas Wildfire • Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) • 16,000 trees on the right-of-way • 30,000 trees removed from private property • 400 trees removed from one property

16. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas Wildfire • Removal of hazardous dead trees that could potentially fall onto the right-of-way or damage infrastructure

17. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas Wildfire • TREES CUT (Estimate for totals) 15,000 ROW 35,000 PPDR 50,000 SUBTOTAL 50,000 Bluebonnet Electric 100,000 TOTAL 100,000/1,500,000 = 7% of total dead trees

18. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas Wildfire DEBRIS STREAMS 1,000,000 CY vegetative50,000 CY C&D COSTS $8,000,000 ROW $8,000,000 PPDR $16,000,000 TOTAL @25% local share, Bastrop County share was $4,000,000

19. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas Wildfire • State Park • Logging company removed burned vegetation • Payment for services was the timber • Short timeframe for useful lumber after being burned • Unique characteristics of the park allowed this project to be cost-effective and successful

20. CASE STUDYBastrop, Texas Wildfire • Environmental Concerns: Houston Toad • Endangered species • Project area one of the few remaining habitats • Debris piles may be providing artificial habitat • Extensive environmental monitors heavily involved in debris operations

21. Part 2: Tornadoes and Debris Management

23. Texas Leads US in Tornado Count for 2019 NBCDFW.com, May 31, 2019

24. Types of Debris Encountered from Tornadoes • Vegetative debris • C&D • Personal property • Hazardous waste • Household hazardous waste • White goods • Vehicles • Putrescent

25. Notable Tornadoes in the Region – 1981 Galveston Tornado • August 31, 1981 • F1 Tornado • 12.9 miles long • 83 yards wide • $25 million in damages • Damaged Scholes Field • Damaged historic buildings in Strand district • Toppled 18-wheel trucks • Damaged port facilities

26. Notable Tornadoes in the Region – 1992 Harris County, Tornado • November 21, 1992 • F4 tornado • 20 miles long • 1,800 yards wide • No injuries or deaths • $250 million in damages • 200 homes destroyed • Over 1000 homes damaged

27. Notable Tornadoes in the Region – 1997 Harris County Tornado • December 13, 1977 • F3 tornado • 19.7 miles long • 400 yards wide • 1 person was killed • $25 million in damages • 30 homes destroyed • 141 homes damaged • 13 small businesses destroyed

28. Case StudyJoplin, Missouri Tornado • EF-5 Tornado struck Joplin, MO on May 22, 2011. • Tornado path was 22.1 miles long and up to 1 mile wide. Tornado Ravages Joplin, Missouri, The Atlantic Magazine

29. Case StudyJoplin, Missouri Tornado • Resulted in: • 162 deaths • 14,000 displaced individuals • 8,000 damaged structures • $2.8 billion in damages

30. Case StudyJoplin, Missouri Tornado • A week after the tornado, the City provided instructions to residents in segregating debris. • More than 70 media interviews were conducted as part of the outreach strategy.

31. Case StudyJoplin, Missouri Tornado • 156 tons of E-waste and 257 tons of white goods was collected and recycled. • Appliances collected that were still functioning were donated to Habitat for Humanity.

32. Case StudyJoplin, Missouri Tornado • A majority of the vegetative debris was ground into mulch, including 400,000 CYs of downed trees. • Approximately 1.3 million cubic yards of debris was disposed of in landfills.

33. Case StudyJoplin, Missouri Tornado • One building sustained such extensive damage that it had to be demolished and reconstructed. • 17,000 tons of C&D debris from the original building were crushed on-site and used as base materials in the construction of its replacement.

34. After Before e FEMA News Photo Joplin Tornado Debris Ops

35. Part 3: Terrorism and Debris Management

36. Terrorism Defined by the FBI • International Terrorism • Perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored). • Domestic Terrorism • Perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.

37. U.S. International Terrorism Incidents • World Trade Center Bombing: 1993 • September 11 Attacks: 2001 • Boston Marathon: 2013 • San Bernardino, California Shooting: 2015 • Orlando Nightclub Shooting: 2016

38. U.S. Domestic Terrorism Incidents • Unabomber Attacks: 1978–1995 • Oklahoma City Bombing: 1995 • Summer Olympics in Atlanta: 1996

39. Terrorism Incidents in Texas -Curtis Culwell Center Attack • Occurred on May 3, 2015 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. • Carried out by two Islamic extremists from Arizona. • The attackers fired at officers at the entrance to an exhibit featuring cartoon images of Muhammad. • The attackers injured an unarmed Garland Independent School District security officer. • Both attackers were shot and killed by an off-duty Garland police officer working the event.

40. Terrorism Incidents in Texas -Austin Suicide Attack on IRS • Occurred on February 18, 2010. • Andrew Joseph Stack III deliberately crashed his single-engine Piper Dakota light aircraft into an office building housing IRS offices in Austin. • Stack and an IRS manager were killed. 13 others were injured. • Prior to the crash, Stack had posted a suicide note on his business website expressing his disillusionment with the government and corporations.

41. Considerations in Debris Management from Terrorism Incidents • Law enforcement agencies will have a much larger role in debris operations from a WMD/terrorism incident.

42. Establish Perimeter Security • Initial site security is initiated by the local responder. • A perimeter is established in the course of protecting the public and providing adequate space for response workers, equipment, and vehicles.

43. Decontamination • Areas contaminated by chemical, biological, or radiological agents may need decontamination to remediate the affected items, buildings, and area.

44. Decontamination Considerations • Whether a transporter or facility could or would accept contaminated waste. • Effectiveness of the decontamination technology in meeting the established clearance level. • Time and cost of sampling and analysis. • Packaging and labeling requirements. • Public’s and occupants’ perception of decontaminated materials.

45. Evidence Collection • Debris is considered evidence until the lead law enforcement agency has declared it clear of evidentiary possibilities. • Debris must be securely handled, monitored, transported and processed.

46. Debris Chain of Custody • Establish a process for chain of command for debris collection. • Document debris chain of command.

47. Training for Debris Operations Workers • Provide evidence awareness training or other specialized training to debris operations workers based on the circumstances of the attack and the type of debris.

48. Human Remains • Coordinate with the Medical Examiner or Justice of the Peace office for human remains identification and recovery.

49. Transportation of Debris • Debris that is transported should be accompanied by or monitored by a law enforcement officer until it has arrived at a remote secure site. • Establish a receiving point to secure large quantities and varying sizes of debris such as an offsite warehouse or storage container that can be secured by law enforcement continuously.

50. Public Information • Form a Joint Information System to coordinate debris and other recovery operation public information messages with participating agencies.