Recovery
Disaster Recovery Updates
North Carolina Emergency Management
Agenda
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Current Thresholds
Hurricane Sandy Recovery Act
PA Debris Changes
Mutual Aid Agreements
Grant Contracting
Miscellaneous Policies
North Carolina Emergency Management
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 @ $3.50
• Maximum amount for a Small Project Grant is
$68,500.00
North Carolina Emergency Management
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
North Carolina Emergency Management
Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013
•Tribal Request for Disaster
Declaration under the
Stafford Act
•Public Assistance Alternative
Procedures
•Alternative Dispute
Resolution
•Update the factors
considered in IA declaration
process
•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
North Carolina Emergency Management
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
North Carolina Emergency Management
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
North Carolina Emergency Management
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
North Carolina Emergency Management
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
North Carolina Emergency Management
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)
North Carolina Emergency Management
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):
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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)
North Carolina Emergency Management
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**
North Carolina Emergency Management
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.
North Carolina Emergency Management
Changes to the Hazard Mitigation Program
• Streamlined Procedures - requires the
utilization of streamlined procedures in order
to provide assistance more rapidly.
North Carolina Emergency Management
Hurricane Sandy Recovery Act Other Changes
• Dispute Resolution Pilot Program
• Strategy for Reducing Costs of Future
Disasters
North Carolina Emergency Management
Field Operations Changes PA
• Group Project worksheets together
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By Facility
Category of Work
• Real time payments for very large
projects
• Large projects may have multiple
obligations
North Carolina Emergency Management
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
North Carolina Emergency Management
Debris Removal from Waterways
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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.
North Carolina Emergency Management
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
North Carolina Emergency Management
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.
North Carolina Emergency Management
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.
North Carolina Emergency Management
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.
North Carolina Emergency Management
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.
North Carolina Emergency Management
Questions
Joe Stanton
joe.stanton@ncdps.gov
919.218.6325
North Carolina Emergency Management