CAI-NJ Jan.2020 (w) (2)

STORM... from page 44.

gency vehicle and utility access. This advance agreement allows municipalities automatic authority to enter private properties to clear roads and help in emergencies. Part of what is required in these agreements is indemnification of both the municipality and FEMA, proof that the community owns its own roads (if it does) and information that private insurance would not cover areas in need of disaster relief. Each community in order to obtain FEMA relief is required to provide the municipality with a copy of the deed to their roads, or the master deed showing that the roads are private. FEMA has two plans for debris removal and reimburse- ment, and they are time sensitive. • Plan 1. The agency will reimburse 85% of debris clean- up, but only if the submission is approved within 30 days after the storm. After 6 weeks, the reimbursement drops to 80% and then within 90 days, the number drops again to 75%. Once 180 days passes, there is no reimbursement at all. • Plan 2. FEMA offers 75% reimbursement if the work is accomplished within 180 days and will routinely grant extensions. How quickly a municipality is reimbursed, depends upon when the applications are submitted. Pushing debris out of the way and picking it up are FEMA’s first priorities. The municipality is required to exhaust other avenues first for stormwater clean-up such as a Department of Architecture grant. Be careful – Towns must wait for assessment by a FEMA case manager before conducting clean-up activities, in order to be eligible for any relief at all. Associations and municipalities can’t destroy the evidence by cleaning up before the township or FEMA have gotten a chance to evaluate the situation. Case Managers can only move so fast, and your community is likely one of many, harmed by the disaster. An association may have to clear some streets knowing that FEMA will not reimburse if the evidence is removed or destroyed. Preparation for major storm events can go a long way toward keeping a community safe and functioning in and after a disaster. The old adage rings true. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. n

money in operating or reserve funds for clean-up and recovery, or they don’t have a line of credit to cover crucial expenses. There are usually expenses that are not recoverable by insurance. The Foundation for Community Association Research, 6402 Arlington Blvd. Suite 500, Falls Church, VA 22042, has a “Best Practices Report #11, on Natural Disasters, which is well-written and insightful. Many of the resources referred to in the Handbook require web site access. This illustrates the importance of restored internet access in a storm, in order to efficiently assist those displaced or expe- riencing hardship. FEMA: FEMA has many requirements, including con- firmation of the following to remove debris from private communities: • Legal responsibility and legal authority through a municipal ordinance or a formal pre-existing agree- ment before a storm requiring each to maintain a high level of disaster readiness; and • Documentation that indemnifies and holds harmless the federal and local government. This means that cooperation with the municipality before the storm occurs is an essential element in getting federal funding when disaster strikes. The agreements acknowl- edge the need to re-establish downed public and private transportation networks following a disaster to engage in significant debris removal and disposal and to restore emer-

“Associations and municipalities can’t destroy the evidence by cleaning up before the Township or FEMA have gotten a chance to evaluate the situation.”

Trifonov Evgeniy / iStock / Getty Images Plus

46

J A N U A R Y , 2 0 2 0