FEPA ANNUAL MEETING 2013

Scott L. NelsonEmergency Management, Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office

EVENT CHARACTERISTICS We received 30 plus inches of rain

countywide Weak tropical storm force winds were

recorded along the coast; inland wind fields were below TS force.

Minor storm tides of 6’ were measured

IMPACTS Record Flooding along the Sopchoppy River Major road flooding to include the total isolation of

the City of Sopchoppy Major Flooding to homes Major road damage Major impacts to the wastewater treatment system Minor vegetative debris, household C&D Numerous sinkholes on public and private property Ponding Vector Control

FROM THE GOOD TO THE UGLY The GOOD

FDEM Smooth coordination

the willingness to support the locals

Private contractor DSI

Extremely knowledgeable staff and a willingness to go to battle

The Ugly FEMA

PWs not provided for review before submittal

Inconsistent guidance to FEMA and local staff

Decisions contrary to policy/guidance

Lack of urgency Staffing inconstancies Eligibility determinations

made in the field Lack of

communication/leadership More concerned with image

than outcome

THE UGLY CONTINUED FEMA stance that sites

with less than $1000.00 could not be grouped

FEMA stance that private contract labor was not eligible CAT C and F

FEMA stance that if you performed CAT B work the project would not be eligible for CAT C

Reservist program

THE GOOD FDEM

Supportive of the needs of the locals

They had to be nudged at times but were effective in nudging FEMA

Private Contractor They had the ability

to hire experienced staff

Many had worked for FEMA in the past

Had more knowledge of FEMA policies than the FEMA representation

Allowed for a successful outcome

THE UGLY FEMA PW REVIEW PROCESS PWs only available for

review after submission PWs were written in a

vacuum with no local verification/input

On August 17, Wakulla County requested to have the State Contractor write small projects. The FEMA FCO and State Director pleaded with the county to stay the course for continuity

Eventually the majority of the PWs were re-written by the State Contractor (all were approved)

THE UGLY : INCONSTANT GUIDANCE TO STAFF

FEMA project specialist and local staff complained about continuing changes in guidance and data needed

Two project specialists left the event before completing a PW

Staff would be given guidance to provide information and spend hours of sorting and preparation only to be told “they” changed their minds.

THE UGLY: DECISIONS WERE CONTRARY TO EXISTING GUIDANCE

On multiple occasions FEMA made decisions that were contrary to FEMA guidance (4 major problems)

CAT B and CAT C issue

Roads with damage less than $1,000.00 listed as non-eligible

Waste Treatment Plant/Private contractor issues

Private contractor labor not allowed while their equipment was (were ghosts operating the equipment or was it a Google tractor)

THE UGLY: LACK OF URGENCY PA Declaration July

9, 2012 Applicant Brief

August 2 September 14

meeting held to discuss county concern over lack of urgency (5 total PWs written) 5 new PWs promised by the 9-21

September 18; began developing daily recovery strep to track progress 5 PWs written (day 71 since declaration)

September 28 5pws written (day 81) This is 0 since the promise of 5 new PWs by the 21st!

THE UGLY: STAFFING INCONSTANCIES At least 8 project

specialists were assigned to Wakulla

This led to a learning curve for all involved each time a new specialist arrived

Damages were shown multiple times

Each new specialist wanted to perform a site visit, take pictures and measurements. This information was not passed down to new FEMA personnel

Recommendations and comments were not consistent among FEMA staff

ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATIONS WERE MADE IN THE FIELD

We were promised by the FCO that determinations would be made in the JFO

The majority of PWs were submitted with an eligibility determination in the field.

The four major points of contention were zeroed out in the filed before ever being submitted to the JFO. They were submitted with an eligibility call that was contrary to guidance

THE UGLY: COMMUNICATION/LEADERSHIP

Multiple promises were made from the JFO; many of these were not followed in the field

The most comical of all: During a high level meeting (FCO, County

Administrator, County Chairman, Attorney, etc.) The FCO stated that her staff was clear that any site with damages of less than $1,000 would be grouped where reasonable. While in this meeting, her staff submitted PWs zeroing out any site less than $1,000.00 regardless of reasonableness

The following is quoted from FEMA 322 (Public Assistance Guide, pages 98 – 99:Combining Work and Creating ProjectsThe first paragraph states, “The Applicant, in coordination with the PAC Crew leader, may combine work items into projects.  In this manner, the projects may be organized around the applicant’s needs.  A project may consist of one item of work, such as repairs to a single structure, or work that occurs at multiple sites, such as repairs to several washouts along a road.  Table 7: Combining Work Method ExplanationType of Facility an applicant could combine all sewer pump stations or gravel roads together. System an applicant could combine repair of several breaks in a water distribution system togetherBoundaries an applicant may have divided power lines into sections or a road department into divisions for ease of operations

The final paragraph on page 98 and continuing onto page 99 states, “FEMA regulations state that individual projects of less than $1,000 in estimated costs are not eligible.  However, it is acceptable to combine sites less than $1,000 in estimated costs into one PW when the work meets the conditions shown above for combining sites.  

THE UGLY: MORE CONCERNED WITH IMAGE THAN OUTCOME

On multiple occasions FEMA was more concerned about how they looked to the public and public officials than the outcome

Masters of telling you what you want to hear

Make a promise follow guidance and find some stick-to-itiveness

Say what you mean, mean what you say and develop a positive outcome

It matters

THE UGLY :SITES LESS THAN $1000.00 We won; enough said

THE UGLY: NO REIMBURSEMENT FOR CONTRACT LABOR

Wakulla County hires a private company to manage Public Works. The equipment is owned by the county. The contract pays for straight time. FEMA believed that the county was not eligible for contract labor but was eligible for equipment

WE won

THE UGLY: CAT B AND C CAN’T BE PERFORMED ON THE SAME DIRT RAD

FEMA stance that if you performed CAT B work the project would not be eligible for CAT C

The failed to realize the difference between making a road passible for emergency workers and repairing a road to pre-existing conditions

WE WON

THAT’S IT FOLKS!