LOCATION DISASTER POPULATION DEBRIS QUANTITIES Osceola County, FL Hidalgo County, TX Brazoria County, TX Fort Bend County, TX Bastrop County, TX 2004 Hurricane Charley 2008 Hurricane Dolly 2008 Hurricane Ike 2008 Hurricane Ike 2011 Complex Fire 484,000 1,140,000 CY vegetative 98,000 CY C&D 570,000 450,000 CY vegetative 82,000 130,500 CY vegetative 532,000 508,850 CY vegetative 15,360 CY C&D 75,000 1,000,000 CY vegetative 80,000 CY C&D
AND THEN THERE WAS THIS TOAD
I AM AN ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTED BY FEDERAL LAW
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 1,000,000 CY vegetative 80,000 CY C&D $8,000,000 ROW $8,000,000 PPDR $16,000,000 TOTAL @25% local share, Bastrop County share is $4,000,000
REMOVING TREES (FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY) ADJACENT TO COUNTY ROADS
NUISANCE ABATEMENT NOTICE REQUIREMENTS
NUISANCE ABATEMENT NOTICE REQUIREMENTS
June 15,2012 BASTROP COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL & SANITATION SERVICES 806 Water Street Bastrop, Texas 78602 To owner/person in-charge of the property: RE: Removal of Fire Damaged Trees located Adjacent to a County Road Right of Way Bastrop County is receiving Public Assistance (PA) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for removal of threats to public health and safety, created by the fire. A hazard debris removal program has been implemented to mitigate any potential dangers to public safety caused by hazardous trees that could fall into the right of way (ROW) of Bastrop County roads. Bastrop County and/or our contractor(s) will be removing hazardous trees from private property, when those trees could fall into the County ROW. Only fire damaged trees located adjacent to the County ROW are eligible for FEMA cost reimbursement. The fire damaged hazardous trees will be removed from private property at no cost to the land owner, when a right of entry (ROE) form is completed and executed by the property owner. In order to begin the process for removing these trees, please complete the enclosed ROE, then deliver or mail the ROE form and associated documents to: SAIC 201 HUNTERS CROSSING BLVD., UNIT 9 BASTROP, TX 78602 (512) 661-8073 CALL THIS NUMBER IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION In spite of best efforts to contact property owners, we recognize that some property owners will not receive this correspondence. Therefore, we must utilize the Bastrop County Order For Abatement of Public Nuisances, Junked Vehicles and Litter to establish lawful right of entry onto properties for which we are unable to contact the owners. The Order is adopted under the Texas Health and Safety Code. The Code has specific language that must be followed, and can sound quite harsh. We are required by the Code to issue a Notice of Violation (on back of this page), and use specific language in order to comply with the Code. Our goal is to remove the trees that could fall and damage personal property, injure someone, or even result in a fatality. Thank you for your help, your patience and your understanding, as we work together toward recovery from this horrific wildfire disaster.
June 15, 2012 NOTICE OF VIOLATION This is a formal notice of violation of: BASTROP COUNTY ORDER FOR ABATEMENT OF PUBLIC NUISANCES, JUNKED VEHICLES AND LITTER (THE ORDER). You have ten (10) days from receipt of this notice, to contact the County and state your intentions with regard to abating/removing this nuisance. The Order states that it is unlawful for an owner, occupant, tenant, resident or person in control of any lot or parcel of ground within Bastrop County to cause, permit, or allow a public nuisance on any premise. The public nuisance, for this violation notice, is the presence of dead and/or dying trees standing on your property, adjacent to the right of way (ROW) of a Bastrop County road, in a manner and location such that the trees present an imminent threat to public safety. The dead and/or dying tree(s) pose a significant threat of falling in a manner that could result in personal injury or death to the public. You must abate/remove the nuisance before the thirty-first (31st) day after the date on which this notice is served. Failure to abate the nuisance may result in: 1. Abatement of the nuisance by the County. 2. Assessment of costs to the person responsible for causing the nuisance. 3. If the assessed costs are not paid within 30 days, filing of a lien against the property on which the nuisance exists. The Assessed Costs will be the cost of removing the nuisance, the cost of legal notification by publication, and an administrative fee of $100.00, plus 10% per year. You are entitled to submit, before the thirty-first (31st) day after the date on which this notice is served, a written request for hearing. Bastrop County does not want to charge you for removal of the trees. We certainly do not want to place a lien on your property. We want to remove the hazardous trees that could fall and damage personal property, injure someone, or even result in a fatality. These trees will be removed at no cost to the property owner when a right of entry (ROE) form is completed by the property owner. The executed ROE establishes the right for Bastrop County and our contractors to enter onto the property and remove the hazardous trees.
Responsibilities of the Parties FEMA STATE (Grantee) APPLICANT (Subgrantee)
FEMA Public Assistance Responsibilities of all parties (Excerpted from FEMA FACT SHEET 9580.203) FEMA Ensure grant requirements outlined in 44 CFR are being met. Fund eligible work. Responsible for the preparation of large project worksheets, development of the scope of work and the obligation of funds. Responsible for monitoring the grant to ensure compliance with Federal, State and local laws and regulations. Utilize monitors to ensure that the applicant is sufficiently monitoring the debris removal operation. (FEMA\Grantee effort) Conduct random monitoring at load sites and disposal sites to ensure compliance with grant requirements. (FEMA\Grantee effort). Notify Grantee/subgrantee of compliance issues and outline corrective actions (FEMA\Grantee effort). Increase or decrease monitoring efforts as necessary to ensure corrective actions are in place and operations are being effectively monitored.
State (Grantee) Ensure grant requirements outlined in the 44 CFR are being met and that PA applicants are receiving funds for eligible costs. Responsible for monitoring the grant and subgrant to ensure compliance with Federal, State and local laws and regulations. Ensure that the applicant is sufficiently monitoring the debris removal operation (FEMA\Grantee effort). Conduct random monitoring at load sites and disposal sites to ensure compliance with grant requirements (FEMA\Grantee effort). Notify subgrantee of compliance issues and outline corrective actions (FEMA\Grantee effort).
Public Assistance Applicant (subgrantee) Provide oversight and quality assurance of both the debris removal contract and the monitoring contract (if applicable). Request PA funds for eligible work. Ensure performance measures are met and eligible work is documented. Understand eligibility requirements and ensure work performed under the contract meets these requirements Designate project manager. If debris removal is performed by force account labor: Provide documentation to substantiate eligible debris quantities. Ensure compliance with subgrant requirements. If debris removal is performed under contract: Ensure that debris removal contractors and monitoring contractors (if applicable) understand eligibility requirements for the debris removal operations. Ensure that only eligible debris quantities are being claimed for Public Assistance. Resolve issues or discrepancies associated with the contract.
BE PREPARED FOR THE MEDIA COVERAGE Be Proactive. Develop alliances with TV and newspaper reporters. Make their job easier. Call them back in a timely manner, they are always dealing with short deadlines. Give them short, concise, narrative (sound bites for TV, quotes for print). For TV, give them access to activities that make good video. For newspapers, give them access to good photo opportunities or provide them with digital images from your photos. Push a positive message into the media stream from day one. Do not wait until a negative situation arises and try to respond. Keep pertinent facts & figures with you so you can respond.
BEWARE OF DISTRACTIONS Better ideas from the public about how things should be done. Requests to be on committees, and attend meetings. If they can do it without you; Just Say No and don t go. Complainers and people demanding that their needs be met. People wanting help from you in areas that are outside of your primary responsibilities during disaster recovery. DELEGATE. You do not need to be Superman (Superwoman). Rely on your TEAM. Focus on your responsibilities and allow others to perform their assigned tasks. Let them know that you have high expectations for their performance.
ACCEPT THE FACT THAT YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO PLEASE EVERYONE. STAY FOCUSED ON INCREMENTAL PROGRESS. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DISTRACTED BY THE COMPLAINERS.