1 / 19

EVALUATING SNOWFALL EVENTS Perspectives From FEMA Region I Tim Barnett, FEMA Region I

EVALUATING SNOWFALL EVENTS Perspectives From FEMA Region I Tim Barnett, FEMA Region I MAY 25, 2011. Tim Barnett May 25, 2011. SNOW ASSISTANCE POLICY.

michel
Download Presentation

EVALUATING SNOWFALL EVENTS Perspectives From FEMA Region I Tim Barnett, FEMA Region I

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. EVALUATING SNOWFALL EVENTS Perspectives From FEMA Region I Tim Barnett, FEMA Region I MAY 25, 2011 Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  2. SNOW ASSISTANCE POLICY Record Snowfall a snowfall that meets or exceeds the highest record snowfall within a county over a 1, 2, or 3 day or longer period of time Near Record Snowfall a snowfall that approaches, but does not meet or exceed, the historical record snowfall within a county. FEMA generally considers snowfall within 10 percent of the record amount to be a near record snowfall Snowstorm an event in which a State has record or near record snowfall in one or more counties…and that overwhelms the capability of the affected State and local governments to respond to an event. While snowstorms will normally only receive Snow Assistance, other categories of supplemental Federal Assistance may be designated for a snowstorm declaration as warranted Severe Winter Storm an event that occurs during the winter season that includes one or more of the following conditions: snow, ice, high winds, blizzard conditions, and other wintery conditions; and that causes substantial physical damage or loss to improved property Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  3. WEATHER DATA National Climatic Data Center – http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html If NCDC data are not available or do not reflect snowfall records through the previous year’s snow season, data should be obtained from regional NWS offices For counties that do not have NCDC or NWS historical record snowfall data, the historical record from the nearest NWS Cooperative Network Station in an adjacent county, even if located in an adjacent State, may be used for determining historical snowfall records Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  4. ISSUES • One day event? Two day event? Two day event? • NWS needs to take the lead and make the decision as to how the event is described • FEMA needs to update our policy to memorialize that NWS is the decision maker on character of the event • NCC records must be accepted at face value • Reinforce in policy that a Major Disaster declared for Snow Assistance highlights the word “assistance” • FEMA Policy: “The assistance is intended to open emergency access and to help restore critical services. It is not intended to cover the entire cost or even a significant portion of the long term snow removal operations…” • States and communities will look to FEMA to cover all eligible costs Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  5. ISSUES • NWS & FEMA needs to provide all concerned with guidance on what is considered “snowfall measurements from other sources that have been verified by the NCDC or NWS” • States applied enough political pressure to NWS that they “concluded” that there were “other verifiable sources” • NWS needs to come up with a criteria for “other sources” • Near Record Snowfall should mean within 10% of the record, not generally within 10% of the record • Snowfall total for the event • Can totals be for the duration of the event (eg 0800 Tuesday – 1600 Wednesday) instead of by day (snowfall for Tuesday) Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  6. MASSACHUSETTS Record 1-Day, 2-Day, and 3-Day Snowfallfor January for stations sorted by county.

  7. MASSACHUSETTS Record 1-Day, 2-Day, and 3-Day Snowfallfor January for stations sorted by county.

  8. MASSACHUSETTS Record 1-Day, 2-Day, and 3-Day Snowfallfor January for stations sorted by county.

  9. Disaster Event Governor’s Request PDA Declaration Applicant Briefings Kick-off Meeting Submission of Request Project Review Formulation of Projects Approval Grantee Funding Subgrantee THE PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROCESS Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  10. FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARATION DECLARATION NUMBER: FEMA-1959-DR-MA DECLARATION DATE: March 7, 2011 STORM INCIDENT PERIOD: January 11-12, 2011 DISASTER ASSISTANCE: (Category A-Debris Removal) and (Category B-Emergency Protective Measures, including Snow Removal Assistance) under the FEMA Public Assistance Program. DECLARED COUNTIES: Berkshire, Essex, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk Disaster assistance will be provided for a 48-hour period for the counties of Essex, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk. The assistance for Berkshire County will be provided for a period of 72-hours. Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  11. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS • State And Local Government • Municipalities, Regional School Districts, Special Districts, Public Authorities • Indian Tribal Government • Certain Private Non-Profits (PNP) • Refer to FEMA Policy 9521.3 for definition of critical/non-critical PNP facilities. ============================================================================================================ A “Grantee” is a State or Tribal Government that is responsible for administering Public Assistance Grants. A “Sub-grantee” is an eligible applicant that receives a Public Assistance Grant as reimbursement for performing eligible disaster work. Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  12. WORK ELIGIBILITY • Must be required as a direct result of the declared major disaster • Be located in the designated disaster area • Be the applicant’s legal responsibility for performance of eligible emergency work at the time of the disaster Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  13. TYPES OF ELIGIBLE WORK • Category A – Debris Removal • Category B – Emergency Protective Measures • Category B - Snow Removal Assistance All departments within a city/town/organization establishes same start and end time when submitting actual costs. Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  14. TYPES OF ELIGIBLE WORK • Overtime (but not the straight time cost of the applicant’s regularly-employed personnel) • Cost of Contract Labor (including temporary hires who perform eligible emergency work) • Costs for equipment and materials used in the performance of eligible work Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  15. TYPES OF ELIGIBLE WORK • Snow Removal • Snow Dumps • De-Icing • Salting • Sanding of roads and other Facilities essential to eliminate or lessen immediate threats to life, public health, and safety • Activities related to the snowstorm such as: • Search and Rescue • Sheltering • Other Emergency Protective Measures • Other categories of work where appropriate Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  16. FORMULATION OF THE PROJECT WORKSHEET Project formulation is the process of identifying the scope of work and estimating project costs. A Project Worksheet (PW) is the primary Form used to document the location, damage description and dimensions, scope of work, and cost estimate for each project. • $1,000 minimum per project • Loss of revenue or increased operating expenses are not eligible under the FEMA PA Program. Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  17. FEMA 1595-DR-MA The Commonwealth’s four major highway systems were impassible for 24 hours Over 600 schools were closed Downed power lines left 227,087 people without power for over 24 hours Boston Photo by essygie on flickr.com Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

  18. Designated Counties Tim Barnett May 25, 2011

More Related