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When disaster strikes, the first
responsibility of emergency managers
and local officials is to protect lives
and public health
Communities should also
take emergency protective measures
to reduce the immediate threat
of significant damage to improved
public or private property through
cost effective measures.
These activities may include sandbagging
barricading, sheltering, search and rescue
and the dissemination of public information
Since disasters come in many different
forms both natural and man-made
responding to each disaster presents
its own unique set of challenges
The response effort may require
the full attention of first responders and
local officials before, during and immediately
after the disaster occurs.
However, as soon as possible
your local jurisdiction should start a
coordinated, thorough damage
assessment of public infrastructure
While separate assessments should
be conducted for individual
homes and businesses, this presentation
will focus only on assessing public infrastructure
and the cost of emergency protective
measures and debris removal. These
costs may qualify for assistance under the
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s
Public Assistance Program if a federal
disaster is declared.
My name is Bill Boone
Program Specialist and team lead in
FEMA's Region Six Public Assistance
program. Today we'll learn about the process
for conducting Preliminary Damage Assesments
The initial damage assessment will be
conducted by local officials and will be used
to notify state counterparts of the extent of
damages the costs, the impacts and the
communities’ ability to recover from the event.
State and tribal leaders will use the information
gathered from local damage assessments
to determine whether or not the Governor
should make a request to FEMA for joint
Preliminary Disaster Assessments or PDAs
The joint PDA is the mechanism used to
determine the impact and magnitude of damage
and the resulting unmet needs of individuals
businesses, the public sector, and the community
as a whole A joint PDA will include a
The results of joint PDAs are compiled
and analyzed at the state and tribal level
as well as at the FEMA Regional level.
Information collected is used by the State
or Tribal Government as a basis for the
Governor’s request (for a federal disaster declaration),
and by FEMA to document the recommendation
made to the President in response to
the Governor’s request.
There are certain per capita thresholds
updated annually, that are taken into account
when analyzing the PDA data.
If the President approves the request
for a federal declaration, FEMA may provide
reimbursement to the communities through its
Public Assistance Program.
This presentation is designed to teach
what information local leaders should
collect during an initial damage assessment
so as to be thoroughly prepared for
the joint PDA with senior state, tribal and FEMA
officials. You need to know what
was damaged, and how extensive the damage
was.You will want to know the status of essential
public services such as water sewer and utility
services. Can emergency vehicles reach all
areas of your jurisdiction?
Are school bus routes open?
Were publicly owned buildings damaged?
In order to answer these questions,
someone must physically survey all areas
where there might have been damage
The people responsible for damage assesment
should be identified in advance of your emergency
management plan and should be updated periodically
Damage assessment team members should be
trained before disaster strikes
To accomplish this, local jurisdictions will want
to take advantage of training offered by the state
tribal nation and FEMA.
No two situations are exactly the same
when it comes to assessing public property
damage. Flood damage which primarily
affects road systems and water control facilities
differs from tornado damage which consists
primarily of scattered debris and down power lines
Hurricanes may cause both flood
and wind damage. In order to effectively approach
the damage assessment process, there are several
pieces of info you should know in advance
such as
There are seven (7) categories of work
that are eligible for reimbursement under
FEMA’s public assistance program.
These categories are:
Applicants who are eligible under
the Public Assistance program are
Private non-profit organizations or PNPs
own or operate a non-profit facility
and have an effective ruling from the Internal
Revenue Service, or from the State certifying
that they are a Non-Profit Organization
Eligible PNP facilities provide either a critical
or essential government service
Examples of PNPs that provide critical services are:
Other organizations that provide essential
government services may also be eligible
for reimbursement
Now that you know the categories of work
or damage, and go might be an eligible applicant
let’s look at the procedures for assesing
public property damage.
During the response phase
emergency activities are taking place
and information is being shared
In particular, the emergency operation center
gathers information from fire, police and
public works personnel as well as the general public
Some of this information will include the location
of damages and records of emergency work
As emergency activities are completed
the information gathered regarding costs related to
damages and to emergency work
should be used to develop a strategy for
conducting local assessments
The pre-identified damage assessment
teams should assess all of the areas of damage
using the techniques you are learning today
Damages should be prioritized so that the worst
and most costly damages are seen first
Before heading to the field the teams
should receive direction from their
local coordinator regarding the
areas that each team should visit
what damages to expect.
This will allow the teams to review
all damaged areas in a short amount of time
without duplicating each others’ efforts
Wherever possible, the local damage assesment
team should review damages that
most relate to their area of expertise
For example an engineer might be the
best person to assess a washed out bridge
While each town, district or precinct is
responsible for surveying its area of responsibility
your local Emergency Management Plan
should identify who or what office will
be responsible for collection of this
information for evaluation and reporting purposes
The local team members responsible for
assesing dameges should be equiped with
cameras to record the damages and GPS devices to
record the location of damage.
Damaged sites should be supported by
photographs. The photographs should be labeled
in such a way that someone not familiar
with the damage can match the photo to the
written description of the site
It is also important to take photographs
in the immediate aftermath of the event
It may take as long as 1-2 weeks before
before a joint PDA team arrives. By then
some emergency repairs may have been made
which could make it difficult for an assessor
to determine the extent and impact
of the damage. Having photos from
the immediate aftermath will document
what the facility looked like before any reapirs
were begun. In addition, team members
should have at their disposal:
Annotated maps, identifying damage areas
As more damages are discovered team
members to add this information to
the maps prepared for the them to be prepared
for the state and FEMA specialist
shirt with your jurisdiction’s logo
Safety is an important factor to consider
when conducting damage assessments
Avoid standing on the edge of any
type of wash-out as scouring may have
eroded the surface beneath the roadway
leaving it vulnerable to collapse
Exercise caution when driving in high-debris
or flooded areas or when encountering
downed power lines. Always be alert
to potential hazards and report observed
hazards to the Emergency Operations Center
and your PDA Coordinator.
Each site should be itemized individually
on a damage assessment form
FEMA and your State or Tribal representative
will prepare these forms, you need
not fill them out—only have the information
ready for senior officials on a site by
basis. If you’d like to use the FEMA
forms, they can be found on fema.gov.
Local officials should note the following
for each site:
Will the community use its own labor
or contract labor to perform the needed work?
Are bus routes closed or can mail be delivered?
What kind of economic impact
Are there health and safety factors involved?
In cases of severe damage, it may not
not be possible to document each and every
element. For example, hundreds of utility
poles may have been knocked down
While it is OK to describe the site as
“utility pole down” and to project a
reasonable number of similar sites,
local officials must be certain that they
have at least visually inspected those sites
Projections should be grouped geographically
Now let’s consider what documentation is required
Since the public assistance program
is designed to be a reimbursement program
you should keep careful records of all costs
that are disaster related from the moment
the emergency action begins until
this emergency action is no longer needed
ratain all of these records for the use
during the joint PDA and to support your
request for federal declaration
continue to document your activities
until the event is declared or until all your
appeal rights have been exausted
if a disaster is declared you will need this
documentation to support your project worksheet
which is the funding mechanism for
your reimbursement. If you are unsure
if the work is eligible, continue to maintain records
seek guidance from your state emergency
management office and FEMA.
During the response phase of a disaster
emergency actions are being taken
and associated costs are being incurred.
State, tribal, and local administrative personnel
the types of documentation you should
maintain are
You can read more about eligible labor cost
in the PA Digest and the PA Guide
When any equipment is in use
be sure to indicate
this information should correspond with
the employees daily time sheet
In addition, you should keep records of
It is important to understand what
insurance coverage is maintained by
an eligible applicant for an eligible
facility local assessment team members
should obtain a copy of relevant insurance policies
before FEMA specialist arrive to cinduct PDA's
While FEMA Specialists will note
the full damage sustained by the facility
only the cost of unmet needs can be used
in the final damage calculations
If a facility is insured, the deductible is often
the unmet need. Having the insurance policy
available on the day of the joint PDA
saves time in the long run.
Once you’ve compiled the results
of your initial assessment, you can decide
if you will request outside aid for your community
Forward a request to your state or tribal
counterpart in accordance with your local
local procedures. There are several
factors you’ll need to consider in making
that decision
The state or your tribal leaders will
schedule joint PDAs for your community
In preparation for this meeting, advise the state or tribal
PDA Coordinator of how long it will take to assess
your area of responsibility
Keep in mind that it is typical for an entire
county or parish to be assessed in only one or
two days.
On the designated day, you should
Participate in the PDA briefing
making note of key issues or known hazards
Have a knowledgeable escort available to show
the damages to the PDA team
Separate escorts should be on hand
to review Individual and Public Assistance
damages if both types of PDAs have been
requested.
Have an appropriate vehicle or vehicles
available that can accommodate several
passengers and access the damaged areas
during the PDA there is always a representative
from the state or tribe a local representative
and a FEMA specialist. on many occasioins
there are also other parties involved
such as a Public Information Officer or representative
from Hazard Mitigation. Ask your PDA
Coordinator for Guidance regarding how
many people to accommodate
Go over your list of damages and map
locations with the PDA team before leaving
the PDA briefing. Schedule your travel
in a logical way that avoids backtracking
while prioritizing the hardest hit sites
Be prepared to discuss community-wide
impacts in addition to the dollar amount of damages
and site specific impacts gathered in the site assessments
Provide the State, Tribal and FEMA Specialists with answers
to the same questions you discussed when
requesting a joint PDA.
Time is a critical factor in both doing the survey
and in asking for assistance. As time passes
repairs will be made and the impact will
not be as evident to state and federal specialist
Any requests for federal assistance must be
processed through the state and received
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
within 30 days of the incident. During that
timeframe, you must do your survey and file
your request. And the state must
request and conduct joint PDA's and evaluate
the data. State officials will recomend weather
or not the governor should make a request
for the federal declaration.
You should also obtain a copy of FEMA 326
Preliminary Damage Assessment Manual
You can request a copy from FEMA publications
by calling the number on your screen
Do this before a disaster strikes.
Keep in mind that a Preliminary Damage Assessment
is just that—preliminary. Your survey is an
estimate of damage based on the best
information available at the time
It would be difficult if not impossible,
to develop exact figures in the time frame
involved. Also, remember that while the dollar
amount of the PDA is a major factor
in determining if a disaster is declared
it is not a guarantee of funding.
If a disaster is declared, the state, tribe
and FEMA will work together to formulate Project
Worksheets to calculate the exact amount
of eligible damage on a project by project basis
By thoroughly assessing the damages in
advance of the joint PDA and gathering needed
documentation you will be better able to fully illustrate
the impact of the event on your community
This will help the state, tribal and federal
inspectors make their recommendation more
quickly and accurately.