PLANNING 

FOR 

NATURAL 

DISASTER 

DEBRIS 

April 2019

EPA 530-F-19-003 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

About This Document 

 This document supersedes the “Planning for Natural Disaster Debris” guidance published by

the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2008 (Document ID Number

EPA530-K-08-001). Changes from the 2008 version include:

o Reorganization of content based on EPA’s Pre-incident All-hazards Waste Management

Plan Guidelines: Four-step Waste Management Planning Process, which is described in

the document;

o Heavier focus on preliminary and pre-planning efforts related to natural disaster

debris management;

o Incorporation of the impacts that community resiliency, climate change adaptation,

and hazard mitigation efforts have on disaster debris management; and

o Addition of new case studies on the responses to the 2011 Joplin tornado, 2012

Hurricane Sandy in New York City, 2015 St. Louis Area floods, and 2017 Northern

California Wildfires.

 This guidance supports EPA’s responsibilities under the National Response Framework

(NRF), which aims to help the whole community (i.e., all government and nongovernment

stakeholders) prepare for, respond to, and begin short-term actions to recover from a

disaster or an incident, including those that may require a coordinated Federal response.

Specifically, as a designated support agency under the NRF’s Emergency Support Function

(ESF) #3 – Public Works and Engineering Annex, EPA provides technical assistance for

nonhazardous waste management, including debris management and recycling and reuse

opportunities, and expertise on waste and debris disposal options, among other actions.

 EPA develops regulations, guidance, and policies that promote the safe management and

cleanup of solid and hazardous waste, as well as programs that encourage source reduction

and beneficial reuse, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (42

U.S.C. §§ 6901–6992k) and its regulations (40 CFR parts 240–282).

 EPA recommends preparing comprehensive debris management plans before a natural

disaster occurs. This document is designed to assist communities (i.e., cities, counties,

tribes, etc. working in conjunction with the whole community, including federal, state, local,

and tribal agencies) in developing these plans and includes information on the following:

o Recommended components of a debris management plan.

o Suggested management options for various natural disaster debris streams.

o A collection of case studies that highlights how several communities prepared for

and managed debris generated by recent natural disasters.

o Federal, state, and local resources to consult in planning for natural disasters.

 This document discusses the management of debris from natural disasters, including

hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, floods, wildfires, and winter storms. It does

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

not discuss the management of debris from acts of terrorism or other homeland security 

incidents (e.g., foreign animal diseases); however, the information contained within this 

document may be helpful when preparing for those types of incidents. (For information on 

homeland security wastes, go to EPA’s Managing Materials and Wastes for Homeland 

Security Incidents website at https://www.epa.gov/homeland-security-waste.) 

	 In general, only federal regulations are discussed in this document where applicable. State, 

tribal, and local governments may have more stringent regulatory requirements. State, 

tribal, and local officials should be consulted to ensure compliance with those regulations. 

The information in this document is subject to change as federal regulations and 

recommendations change as new information becomes available. 

	 Additional resources: 

o	 EPA’s Managing Materials and Wastes for Homeland Security Incidents: 

https://www.epa.gov/homeland-security-waste. 

o	 The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) “Public Assistance Program 

and Policy Guide” (FP-104-009-2) was revised in April 2018. Communities can 

consult this document to help develop debris management plans that may be eligible 

for public assistance from the federal government, when applicable: 

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/111781. 

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Disclaimer 

This document is not a regulation. It does not change or substitute for any legal requirement. 

This document is not a rule, is not legally enforceable, and does not confer legal rights or 

impose legal requirements upon any member of the public, states, tribes, or any other federal 

agency. This document uses the word “should” to describe EPA recommendations or 

suggestions; it does not connote a legal requirement. 

This document references non-EPA websites. These external links provide additional 

information that may be useful or interesting and are being provided consistent with the 

intended purpose of this document. However, EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of information 

provided by these links. Providing links to non-EPA websites does not constitute an 

endorsement by EPA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the sites or the information or 

products presented on the sites. 

Acknowledgment 

This guidance document was developed by the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery 

in EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. For questions about the document, please 

contact: Melissa Kaps, 703-308-6787, kaps.melissa@epa.gov. This phone number may also be 

reached by individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities through the 

Federal Relay Service’s teletype service at 800-877-8339. 

EPA wishes to acknowledge and thank the following people and organizations for providing 

assistance and input into the guidance: Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste 

Management Officials (ASTSWMO); California State Water Resources Control Board; 

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; Construction & Demolition 

Recycling Association; Howard County Department of Public Works (Maryland); Indiana 

Department of Environmental Management; Joseph Sollod (EPA intern); Kelsey Harrison (EPA 

intern); Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; Missouri Department of Natural Resources; 

Montana Department of Environmental Quality; New Jersey Department of Environmental 

Protection; Northeast Waste Management Officials’ Association (NEWMOA); Oklahoma 

Department of Environmental Quality; Rhode Island Department of Environmental 

Management; Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and its partners; Tillamook 

County Solid Waste Department (Oregon); and Washington Department of Ecology. 

“Every disaster is different, but a plan will give you a place to start.” – Marc Bruner, Solid Waste 

Authority of Palm Beach County 

“Disasters are come-as-you-are battles. Having a plan will make you more prepared when the battle 

comes.” – John Rogers, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality 

Cover photographs (from the top): curbside pickup of debris in Missouri after the 2015 floods; debris field in 

Greensburg, Kansas after the 2007 tornado; vegetative debris mulching operation in Louisiana after Hurricane 

Katrina (courtesy of the Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida). 

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Acronyms 

ACI air curtain incinerator 

ACM asbestos-containing material 

ASTSWMO Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials 

BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs 

BIA EM Bureau of Indian Affairs Emergency Management Division 

BMRA Building Materials Reuse Association 

C&D construction and demolition 

CAMEO Computer-aided Management of Emergency Operations 

CCA Chromated Copper Arsenate 

CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

CDRA Construction & Demolition Recycling Association 

CFR Code of Federal Regulations 

CRT cathode ray tube 

DHS U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

DOE U.S. Department of Energy 

DOT U.S. Department of Transportation 

DSNY New York City Department of Sanitation 

e-waste electronics waste 

EMAC Emergency Management Assistance Compact 

EMI Emergency Management Institute 

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

EPCRA Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act 

ESF Emergency Support Function 

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency 

FHWA Federal Highway Administration 

FLASH Federal Alliance for Safe Homes 

FTA Federal Transit Administration 

FWS U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

GAP Indian Environmental General Assistance Program 

GIS Geographic Information System 

H2S hydrogen sulfide 

Hazus-MH Hazards U.S. Multi-Hazard 

HHW household hazardous waste 

HUD U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

I-WASTE Incident Waste Decision Support Tool 

LDEQ Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

LEPC		 Local Emergency Planning Committee 

MDEQ		 Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality 

MDP		 Marine Debris Program 

MSW		 municipal solid waste 

NAA		 No Action Assurance 

NCP		 National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, 

more commonly called the National Contingency Plan 

NESHAP		 National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants 

NHSM		 non-hazardous secondary material 

NOAA		 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

NRC		 National Response Center 

NRF		 National Response Framework 

NYC		 New York City 

PA		 Public Assistance 

PAPPG		 Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide 

PCB		 polychlorinated biphenyl 

PPE		 personal protective equipment 

RCRA		 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 

SAM		 System for Award Management 

SWA		 Solid Waste Authority 

SWANA		 Solid Waste Association of North America 

TAC-G		 Tribal Assistance Coordination Group 

TEPC		 Tribal Emergency Planning Committee 

U.S. United States 

USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

USC United States Code 

USCG U.S. Coast Guard 

USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture 

USGS U.S. Geological Survey 

WBUG Woody Biomass Utilization Group 

WM Waste Management 

WMP Waste Management Plan 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Table of Contents 

1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1
	

2 PLANNING PROCESS FOR NATURAL DISASTER DEBRIS .............................5
	

2.1 Conduct Pre-planning Activities .......................................................................6
	

2.1.1 Enhance Community Resiliency to Minimize Debris Generation.............................9
	

2.1.2 Incorporate Climate Change Adaptation into Debris Management Planning..... 14
	

2.1.3 Determine Applicable Environmental Regulations and Requirements................. 15
	

2.1.4 Identify Available Resources........................................................................................... 15
	

Mutual Aid Agreements ................................................................................................. 16
	

Local Resources............................................................................................................... 16
	

Information Sharing ......................................................................................................... 17
	

State Resources................................................................................................................ 17
	

Private Sector Resources............................................................................................... 18
	

Federal Resources ........................................................................................................... 19
	

2.2 Develop a Comprehensive Pre-incident Debris Management Plan............28
	

2.2.1 Consider Using EPA’s Suggested Debris Management Plan Outline .................... 28
	

2.2.2 Identify Debris Types and Forecast Amounts............................................................ 31
	

Possible Material and Waste Streams......................................................................... 31
	

Waste Management Requirements and Considerations......................................... 32
	

Debris Forecasting........................................................................................................... 36
	

2.2.3 Evaluate Debris Management Options ........................................................................ 37
	

Reuse and Recycling........................................................................................................ 40
	

Waste-to-Energy.............................................................................................................. 51
	

Treatment and Disposal................................................................................................. 52
	

2.2.4 Establish Debris Management Needs and Strategies................................................ 54
	

Debris Segregation and Collection.............................................................................. 55
	

Temporary Debris Management Sites......................................................................... 57
	

Equipment and Staffing Needs ...................................................................................... 62
	

Community Communications/Outreach Plan ........................................................... 66
	

Waste and Material Tracking and Reporting System .............................................. 67
	

2.3 Keep the Debris Management Plan Updated................................................67
	

2.4 Implement the Debris Management Plan During a Natural Disaster........68
	

3 LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST DISASTERS.................................................69
	

3.1 Best Management Practices............................................................................69
	

3.2 Case Studies ......................................................................................................70
	

4 EXAMPLES OF DEBRIS MANAGEMENT PLANS AND GUIDANCE .............72
	

4.1 State Plans and Guidance ................................................................................72
	

4.2 City and County Plans......................................................................................73
	

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LITERATURE REFERENCES.....................................................................................74
	

APPENDIX A: TOOLS AND RESOURCES...........................................................A-1
	

APPENDIX B: PRE-INCIDENT DEBRIS MANAGEMENT PLAN OUTLINE ... B-1
	

APPENDIX C: HAZARDOUS WASTE BULKING CENTER OVERVIEW AND
	

PUBLIC INFORMATION FLYERS USED FOR DEBRIS MANAGEMENT
	

DURING HURRICANE KATRINA CLEANUP IN LOUISIANA ....................C-1
	

APPENDIX D: CASE STUDIES...............................................................................D-1
	

Los Angeles, CA: The Northridge Earthquake 1994........................................................D-1
	

San Diego County, CA: Cedar and Pines Fires 2003 .......................................................D-3
	

Florida: Hurricanes 2004.........................................................................................................D-5
	

Louisiana: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 2005 .....................................................................D-7
	

Mississippi: Hurricane Katrina 2005 .....................................................................................D-9
	

Alstead, NH: Flooding 2005................................................................................................ D-13
	

Joplin, MO: Tornado 2011................................................................................................... D-14
	

New York City, NY: Hurricane Sandy 2012................................................................... D-15
	

St. Louis Metro Area, MO: Floods 2015 .......................................................................... D-16
	

Northern California: Wildfires 2017................................................................................. D-17
	

List of Figures 

Figure 1. Pre-incident Waste Management (WM) Planning Process..................6
	

Figure 2. Enhancing Residential Resiliency...........................................................11
	

Figure 3. Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) Listed in the National
	

Response Framework ......................................................................................20
	

Figure 4. Suggested Pre-incident Debris Management Plan Outline................29
	

Figure 5. Debris Management Hierarchy .............................................................38
	

Figure 6. Example of Curbside Debris Removal Guidelines...............................56
	

Figure 7. Example of a Debris Management Site ................................................61
	

Figure 8. Example Equipment Needs....................................................................64
	

Figure 9. Example of a Simple Waste and Material Tracking Template..........67
	

Figure 10. Case Studies Summary ........................................................................71
	

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

1 Introduction 

Every year, natural disasters, such as wildfires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and 

winter storms, challenge American communities. For example, in 2017, the United States 

experienced, in a one-month period, three separate destructive hurricanes that impacted a 

large area of the United States (U.S.) and its territories – Hurricane Harvey (August 2017), 

Hurricane Irma (September 2017), and Hurricane Maria (September 2017). These hurricanes 

represent only a few of the natural disasters that occurred that year, which also included the 

northern California firestorm (October 2017) and tornadoes across the South (January 2017) 

and Midwest (March 2017). In addition to addressing the loss of power, homes, and lives from 

natural disasters, communities are tasked with the difficult job of managing the large amounts of 

natural disaster debris that may be generated by these disasters. Natural disaster debris refers 

to the material and waste streams resulting from a natural disaster. Disaster debris often 

includes building materials, sediments, vegetative debris, and personal property. Large quantities 

of debris can make recovery efforts difficult by, for example, hindering emergency personnel, 

damaging or blocking access to necessary infrastructure, and posing threats to human health 

and the environment. 

Cleaning up this debris can be time-consuming and costly, extending the recovery from the 

disaster. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Hurricane Katrina, 

one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in U.S. history, resulted in more than 99 million 

cubic yards of debris, totaling greater than $3.7 billion in debris removal costs alone 

(https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2006/08/22/numbers-one-year-later). The National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that from 1980-2017, the U.S. has 

experienced 219 natural disasters that resulted in at least $1 billion in damages per event, 

costing the U.S. more than $1.5 trillion. Ten of these disasters occurred in 2015; fifteen of 

these disasters occurred in 2016. In 2017, sixteen of these disasters occurred, resulting in the 

most expensive year on record for disasters, with $306.2 billion in cumulative damages. This 

total replaces the previous annual record cost of $214.8 billion (adjusted for inflation), which 

was established in 2005 due to the impacts of Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma. 

(NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather 

and Climate Disasters (2018): https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/.) According to the 2014 

National Climate Assessment, which is a detailed report on climate change impacts on the U.S., 

climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of some natural disasters 

(http://s3.amazonaws.com/nca2014/low/NCA3_Climate_Change_Impacts_in_the 

_United%20States_LowRes.pdf?download=1). The amount of debris generated by natural 

disasters, and the costs to manage it, will likely increase as a result. 

Natural disaster debris management may involve the whole community, including individuals and 

families, businesses, faith-based and community organizations, nonprofit groups, schools and 

academia, media outlets, and all levels of government. The National Preparedness Goal 2nd 

Edition (2015) defines “whole community” as a focus on enabling the participation in national 

preparedness activities of this wide range of players in order to foster better coordination and 

working relationships (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/25959). For 

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example, when planning for natural disaster debris, communities should collaborate with 

federal, state, local, tribal, and other stakeholders to help ensure an integrated and effective 

approach. More information on the concept of whole community may be found at 

https://www.fema.gov/whole-community. 

Communities that may benefit from the advice presented in this document include: 

 Communities at risk of significant damage from a natural disaster. 

 Communities at increased risk from natural disasters due to climate change. 

 Communities currently without an existing or comprehensive debris management plan. 

 Communities with emergency response plans that overlook disaster debris cleanup or 

consider only a limited number of debris management options. 

 Communities in the beginning stages of the debris management planning process. 

 Communities with existing debris management plans that have not been updated with 

new information, such as reductions in existing disposal capacity or innovative reuse or 

recycling opportunities. 

After a natural disaster strikes, a community, working with federal and state officials and other 

stakeholders, typically must conduct many debris management-related activities before it can 

fully recover, such as: 

 Estimating debris quantities; 

 Assessing debris management options; 

 Triaging debris management; 

 Segregating debris into different material and waste streams; 

 Identifying debris management sites and facilities and their available capacities; 

 Collecting and hauling debris from the field and/or curb; 

 Removing debris from waterways and sensitive habitats (e.g., shorelines, wetlands, 

marshes); 

 Sampling and analysis of debris; 

 Characterizing debris, including identifying hazardous waste, for proper management; 

 Obtaining emergency permits; 

 Processing debris (e.g., volume reduction, refrigerant removal, asbestos removal); 

 Packaging and labeling debris for transport; 

 Transporting debris to debris management sites and facilities; 

 Managing debris through reuse, recycling, treatment, and/or disposal; 

 Monitoring incoming debris at debris management sites and facilities; 

 Tracking debris from the original deposited point to final destination; 

 Conducting debris management oversight activities, such as site visits to, inspections of, 

and environmental monitoring at debris management sites; and 

 Communicating with the public about debris collection and other management activities. 

Pre-incident debris management planning by communities, such as forecasting debris volumes 

and types, identifying available capacity, developing debris management options, and defining 

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roles and responsibilities for all debris management-related activities can help facilitate these 

activities. 

Large-scale natural disasters may generate debris in quantities greater than the amount of waste 

many communities handle each year. While this document does not provide all the information 

a community may need to plan for natural disaster debris, this document draws from 

communities’ experiences and provides planning recommendations for managing natural 

disaster debris. The suggestions within this document can be adapted, as necessary, to each 

community’s unique situation. The primary goal of pre-incident debris management planning 

should be to prepare the community to manage natural disaster debris effectively in 

coordination with the whole community (i.e., all governmental, private, nonprofit, community, 

and other stakeholders). In addition to helping the community prepare for managing debris 

generated by natural disasters, pre-incident planning can encompass community resilience, 

source reduction, and hazard mitigation activities aimed at reducing the amount of time it takes 

a community to recover, the total amount of debris generated, and the release and exposure to 

potentially harmful components in the debris. 

Pre-incident debris management planning can provide many benefits, such as: 

 Saves valuable time and resources during a response to a disaster; 

 Allows more efficient, effective, and environmentally responsible waste management 

decision-making during a disaster; 

	 Encourages stakeholders (e.g., state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, owners of 

private storage, treatment, and disposal facilities, residents) to work together before a 

disaster occurs; 

 Boosts the community’s resiliency in the wake of a disaster and positions it for a quicker 

and less costly recovery to its pre-incident state; 

 Enhances the community’s adaptation to the debris-related impacts of climate change; 

and 

 Minimally detracts from, or otherwise impacts, the broader response and recovery 

efforts due to the efficient implementation of debris management activities. 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strongly recommends that preincident planning be documented in a debris management plan. Although the officials who 

contributed to this document recognize that even the best debris management plan cannot 

account for every situation, having a plan is important because it lays the groundwork for a 

community’s preparedness and response to a natural disaster, particularly if it has widespread 

impacts. In order to be comprehensive, communities are encouraged to develop debris 

management plans that are scalable to both large and small natural disasters. Planners can 

follow EPA’s comprehensive All-hazards Four-step Waste Management Planning Process, which 

is described in Section 2, or, if resources and time are limited, can focus on one or more preincident planning activities at a time. Debris management planning activities that may provide 

the greatest benefit for a community that has limited resources and time to devote to planning 

include the following: 

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	 Consult with key stakeholders and sectors, including transportation, sanitation, 

emergency response, environmental, agricultural, public health, public works, zoning, 

and other industry and business leaders. 

	 Identify potential debris streams, including harmful constituents, and possible quantities 

that may be generated by a disaster considering the industrial, agricultural, residential, 

and commercial zones in the community. 

 Evaluate existing reuse and recycling programs to determine if they can be scaled up to 

handle disaster-related wastes. 

 Consider waste collection strategies, such as separating the debris into different waste 

streams before transporting it off-site. 

 Determine locations (or criteria) and capacities for debris management sites that are 

suitable for debris staging, temporary storage, and decontamination activities. 

	 Select potential reuse, composting, recycling, treatment, and disposal facilities, including 

mobile treatment units, that are currently available to the community, state, and region 

and assess their daily and long-term capacities. 

	 Create a debris management-focused community outreach plan. 

	 Address health and safety considerations for debris management operations (e.g., 

handling orphaned tanks, animal carcasses, asbestos-containing materials, quarantined 

materials like pest-infested vegetative debris, and hazardous chemicals from school 

chemistry labs, medical offices, and hospitals). 

Each planning activity can also be divided into more manageable pieces. For example, a 

community wanting to increase the amount of debris recycled after a natural disaster can 

address one debris stream at a time. Planning is not an all-or-nothing effort. Small but significant 

steps taken prior to an incident can have a big impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of 

post-disaster debris management decision-making. 

Although the recovery process may take a long time, perhaps even years, careful planning can: 

 Significantly minimize the potential for costly mistakes;
	

 Speed recovery;
	

 Protect human health and the environment; and
	

 Prevent the generation of additional waste.
	

For example, the number of times debris is handled, the number of transporters, waste 

management sites, and facilities needed, and the cost and environmental impact of the disaster 

can all be minimized through thorough and detailed planning prior to the incident. Additionally, 

having a sound, comprehensive debris management plan can expedite removal of debris—an 

important sign of recovery that residents will see. Expedited removal also reduces dangers of 

fire, personal injury, and disease vectors. 

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2 Planning Process for Natural Disaster Debris 

To prepare for the volumes and the types of debris that may be generated, communities, in 

coordination with the whole community, are encouraged to plan for natural disasters they may 

experience. Effective planning generally addresses: 

 Source reduction and hazard mitigation activities to reduce the amount and toxicity of 

debris generated by a natural disaster; 

 Strategies for reuse and recycling of materials to minimize the environmental and 

economic impact of debris management activities;
	

 Roles and responsibilities for all debris management and related activities; and
	

 Issues and considerations beyond initial debris removal.
	

Case Study: Why Comprehensive Pre-incident Planning is so Important 

Hurricanes Irma and Maria left behind approximately 580,000 cubic yards of debris in the 

U.S. Virgin Islands in 2017 (https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2018/07/10/progress-madedisposal-operations-hurricane-debris). In Puerto Rico, more than 8 million cubic yards of 

debris were removed after these hurricanes hit (https://www.fema.gov/newsrelease/2018/09/06/puerto-rico-one-year-after-hurricanes-irma-and-maria). Neither Puerto 

Rico nor the U.S. Virgin Islands had comprehensive debris management plans in place 

before Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The lack of available landfill capacity and pre-identified 

temporary debris management sites to manage large quantities of natural disaster debris 

contributed to delays in debris management after the hurricanes. As a result, illegal dumping 

sites were created and debris accumulated in sensitive areas, such as floodplains. 

Unregulated dumping and storage of materials at non-compliant staging areas created issues 

with post-storm debris management by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and 

reimbursement of debris management costs from the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency to local governments. Pre-incident planning could have mitigated these issues. 

Based on lessons learned and insights from community officials who have conducted debris 

cleanup after a natural disaster, EPA developed a comprehensive, pre-incident planning process 

to help prepare communities for effective disaster debris management. This recommended 

process guides communities through four steps, which should be undertaken with the 

participation of the whole community: 

1) Conduct pre-planning activities; 

2) Develop a comprehensive pre-incident debris management plan; 

3) Keep the debris management plan updated; and 

4) Implement the debris management plan during a natural disaster. 

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Each step is discussed in detail below. Bear in mind that the debris management planning 

process does not have to be completed at one time or by one person. Disaster debris 

management planning usually requires input from the whole community, including neighboring 

communities, state officials, industry representatives, contractors, waste management facilities, 

a variety of local agencies, volunteer organizations (e.g., the American Red Cross, faith-based 

organizations), and other stakeholders. Figure 1 summarizes EPA’s suggested planning process 

for initiating, creating, updating, and implementing a comprehensive and scalable waste (or 

debris) management plan (WMP). 

Figure 1. Pre-incident Waste Management (WM) Planning Process 

2.1 Conduct Pre-planning Activities 

The first step of EPA’s recommended planning process is conducting pre-planning activities. 

While one person may begin planning, this planner will likely need assistance throughout the 

planning process from a team of people with different areas of expertise. Generally, planners 

should establish how the debris management plan will be created, what will be included in the 

plan, and who, beyond the team, should review it. Reviewers may include neighboring 

communities or state and federal officials. A planner may want to begin by identifying and 

engaging with individuals and groups who should be involved in the planning process as 

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appropriate. Individuals or groups who represent transportation, sanitation, emergency 

management and response, environment, agriculture, public health and safety, public works, 

zoning, industry, and business, among others, should be consulted. The team may also include 

officials from other communities that have experienced disasters. This team can help identify 

unique, local circumstances and issues that may affect debris management during a disaster, 

such as geography, sensitive populations, and union and other contract or worker issues. 

Case Study: Successful Collaborative Planning 

NOAA’s Marine Debris Program worked with state and local governments and other 

stakeholders to address potential acute waterway debris incidents affecting Florida’s 

coastline. (Acute waterway debris incidents involve the release of large amounts of debris 

into waterways as a result of natural or manmade incidents, including natural disasters.) 

This collaboration resulted in the development of the Florida Marine Debris Emergency 

Response Guide (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/emergency-response-guide/florida-marinedebris-emergency-response-guide). The purpose of this guide is to improve preparedness 

for response and recovery operations following an acute waterway debris incident on the 

Gulf or Atlantic coast of Florida. Since its development, the guide has been heavily utilized 

by state and federal government responders. 

Planners should focus on preparing for those disasters that are likely to happen in their 

communities. However, planners should not rely solely on historical information to determine 

the risks to their communities because the past is not a reliable predictor of future conditions 

under a changing climate. Recorded changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns, 

for example, are causing extreme weather events that are creating new risks to communities 

and sites. More frequent and intense storms, flooding, storm surges, droughts, and wildfires— 

and combinations of events—may generate larger amounts of debris. Planners should also 

consider potential new or exacerbated risks to their communities after a disaster occurs. For 

example, heavy rainfall in an area devastated by wildfires can increase the possibility of massive 

mudslides due to destroyed vegetation on slopes. Examples of the types of debris that may be 

generated from natural disasters include vegetative debris (e.g., brush and trees), animal 

carcasses, construction and demolition (C&D) debris, orphaned tanks (i.e., abandoned tanks 

with no known or financially viable owner), marine or waterway debris, sediment, vehicles, 

white goods (i.e., household appliances, such as stoves, refrigerators, washers/dryers, air 

conditioner units), and electronics waste (e.g., computer equipment, cell phones). 

The most common natural disasters that plague communities around the U.S., causing injury 

and loss of life in addition to generating debris, include the following: 

EARTHQUAKES are caused by a sudden movement of the earth’s crust. Generally, most 

destruction is closest to the epicenter, radiating damage outward. Earthquakes are more likely 

to occur in Alaska, Hawaii, and the western part of the U.S.; however, induced (i.e., manmade) 

earthquakes are becoming more frequent in the central and eastern U.S. 

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(https://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/induced/). Additionally, dormant fault lines in other areas 

may become active at any time. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintains seismic hazard 

maps that provide the most up-to-date information on earthquake hazards 

(https://earthquake.usgs.gov/hazards/hazmaps/). 

FLOODS occur when excess water submerges land, such as from prolonged heavy rains or 

changes in the environment (e.g., land development) around streams, rivers, and coastal areas 

that reduce the ability of the ground to absorb water. Floods can occur in coastal and inland 

areas, making them the most common natural disaster in the U.S. Climate change may intensify 

flooding across the U.S., even in areas where total precipitation is projected to decline 

(http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/sectors/water). The FEMA Flood Map Service Center 

provides tools to understand an area’s flood risk (https://msc.fema.gov/portal/). FEMA is also 

working with federal, state, local, and tribal partners to identify flood risk and help reduce that 

risk using Risk Mapping, Assessment and Planning (Risk MAP) (https://www.fema.gov/riskmapping-assessment-and-planning-risk-map). Additionally, NOAA's Office of Water Prediction 

collaboratively researches, develops, and delivers state-of-the-science national hydrologic 

analyses, forecast information, data, decision-support services, and guidance to support and 

inform essential emergency services and water management decisions (http://water.noaa.gov/ 

and http://water.weather.gov/ahps/). 

HURRICANES are severe tropical storms that form in the ocean and can make landfall along 

coastal communities in the U.S., bringing with them winds of at least 74 miles per hour, heavy 

rains, and large waves that can damage trees, buildings, and infrastructure. Hurricane-associated 

storm intensity, frequency, and duration have substantially increased since the 1980s and are 

projected to continue increasing as the climate warms (http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report 

/our-changing-climate/changes-hurricanes). NOAA maintains the National Hurricane Center 

(http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/) and Central Pacific Hurricane Center (http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ 

cphc/) to provide forecasts and warnings for tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean 

Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean, including some of the resulting 

hazards, such as storm surge. 

TORNADOES appear as funnel-shaped clouds that extend from a thunderstorm to the 

ground with rotating winds. While tornadoes occur in every state of the U.S., Florida and 

“Tornado Alley" in the south-central U.S. experience a disproportionately high frequency of 

tornadoes. NOAA provides data on the average number of tornadoes by state over a 20-year 

period (https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornadoclimatology). 

TSUNAMIS are a series of extremely long waves in a water body, generally in an ocean or a 

large lake. A tsunami wave may come gently ashore or may increase in height to become a fastmoving wall of turbulent water several meters high. Unlike typical ocean waves, which are 

caused by wind or tides due to the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun, a tsunami wave is 

generated by a sudden displacement of a large volume of water caused by earthquakes, volcanic 

activity, landslides, glacier calving, near-earth objects, and other disturbances above or below 

water. Tsunamis are a threat to coastlines, particularly to those along the Pacific Ocean. More 

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information on tsunamis can be found on the website for the U.S. Tsunami Warning Centers at 

https://www.tsunami.gov/. 

WILDFIRES are large, unplanned fires that spread rapidly in natural areas like forests, 

grasslands, and prairies, as well as in urbanized areas. They can occur anytime and anywhere, 

especially in areas with little or no rainfall for a prolonged period of time. More intense 

droughts and warmer temperatures cause larger wildfires and longer fire seasons 

(http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/overview/overview). The USGS maintains the 

Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination (GeoMAC) tool, which provides maps of current fire 

locations and perimeters in the U.S. (https://www.geomac.gov/about.shtml). 

WINTER STORMS are events that include large amounts of snow, sleet, or freezing rain. 

Areas with below-freezing temperatures are at risk of winter storms. Since the 1950s, winter 

storms have become more frequent and intense and have shifted northward over the U.S. 

(http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/our-changing-climate/changes-storms). 

VOLCANOES are mountains through which gases and molten rock erupt. In the U.S., active 

volcanoes are located mainly in Hawaii, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest. The USGS maintains 

the Volcano Hazards Program, which provides current information on potential hazards 

(https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/index.html). 

2.1.1 Enhance Community Resiliency to Minimize Debris Generation 

A resilient community is more sustainable because it has the ability to better withstand and 

recover more rapidly from natural disasters. In the event of a disaster, a resilient community: 

 Generates less debris to manage. 

 Contains less harmful materials that can be released, which minimizes hazardous debris. 

 Recovers faster, encouraging residents and businesses to stay in the area. 

 Reduces disruption of critical services, including power and water. 

 Spends less money on cleanup and debris management. 

 Uses fewer resources to rebuild and recover. 

Communities should thus work to increase their resiliency to the effects of natural disasters 

that they are likely to experience. This concept is also strongly emphasized in the National 

Disaster Recovery Framework, Second Edition (https://www.fema.gov/national-disasterrecovery-framework). Stronger winds, more powerful storm surges, more frequent floods, and 

heavier rains have the potential to cause greater damage and, therefore, debris. Greater 

quantities of debris on land and in water may slow down the disaster response and increase the 

recovery time and cleanup costs. Boosting resiliency to natural disasters is an important way 

that communities can adapt to more frequent and severe storms. 

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Case Study: Mitigating Future Flood Damage in Historic Ellicott City, Maryland 

In July 2016, unprecedented flooding in Historic Ellicott City in Howard County, Maryland 

claimed two lives, damaged 90 businesses and hundreds of vehicles, and displaced almost 

100 residents. Less than two years later, in May 2018, the same location experienced 

flooding that caused similar devastation. Both events were considered a 1000-year event 

(http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hdsc/current-projects/progress/201807_HDSC_PR.pdf; 

https://www.weather.gov/lwx/EllicottCityFlood2018). To “adapt to a new future,” Howard 

County announced The Ellicott City Flood Mitigation Plan, which seeks to provide “the most 

benefit to the community in the shortest duration” (https://www.howardcountymd.gov 

/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=A3KL4ZSavCg%3d&portalid=0). The five-year plan recommends, 

in part, the expansion of the current culvert system, as well as the acquisition and relocation 

or demolition of buildings in two identified strategic areas in the city to create open space 

for community use and increase the floodplain. Because of the historic nature of the 

buildings to be removed, Howard County “will make every effort to preserve the key 

historical elements of these structures so that they may be re-used in the Historic District.” 

Because total prevention of debris may not be possible, communities should begin implementing 

strategies for decreasing the overall amount and toxicity of potential debris before a disaster 

occurs to increase their resiliency to natural disasters. Communities should identify what 

potential hazards exist within their borders, including determining and locating facilities that use 

and store hazardous substances or oil. Planners should then identify opportunities for: 

	 Source reduction (e.g., updating building codes for resilient building design and
	

construction);
	

	 Hazard mitigation (e.g., eliminating potential problematic wastes, such as retrofitting 

polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) transformers to reduce PCB-contaminated wastes; 

implementing adequate advance measures for fueling stations and tank farms to control 

releases); and 

	 Increased reuse and recycling (e.g., finding end markets for potential debris streams). 

Communities may also want to create an outreach program to educate the public, including 

business owners and operators, property managers, and community residents, on how they can 

decrease the amount of damage their properties might suffer in a natural disaster. See Figure 2 

for suggestions on enhancing residential resiliency. 

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Figure 2. Enhancing Residential Resiliency 

Residents can take certain actions to limit the damage to their homes during natural 

disasters, decreasing the amount of debris generated, such as: 

	 Brace hot water heaters to keep them from toppling and rupturing gas lines to 

prevent fire outbreaks. 

 Strengthen walls, foundations, and chimneys to limit damage. 

 Bring inside or secure (e.g., with ground anchors or straps) all outdoor objects, such 

as trash cans and recycling bins, patio furniture, grills, and lawn ornaments (e.g., 

garden gnomes), to reduce potential projectiles and debris. If trash cans and recycling 

bins are left outside, strap down their lids (e.g., secure the lid with duct tape). 

 Secure propane and other tanks and containers to limit spills and releases. 

 Place barriers (e.g., sandbags) around structures to help divert debris and water. 

 Remove dead or diseased trees and trim limbs away from buildings and water pipes 

to help prevent dislodged trees and branches and damage from flying vegetative 

debris. 

 Cover and secure windows and doors (e.g., with protective shutters) to prevent 

damage from flying debris and reduce the risk of water damage. 

 Use fire-safe landscaping and fire-resistant building materials (e.g., metal roofs and 

stucco) to reduce damage from fire. 

Planning for resiliency should include determining locations of essential facilities, including 

hospitals, senior homes, childcare facilities, shelters, major and alternate transportation routes 

and infrastructure, including public transit, areas that may experience significant damage (such 

as developed areas within a floodplain), and facilities that manage or store large quantities of 

harmful chemicals, biological hazards (e.g., research laboratories), or hazardous waste. Knowing 

these locations in advance can help a community prioritize its preparatory and response 

activities. In addition, understanding where sensitive zones, such as floodplains, are located and 

reducing and/or avoiding development in such zones can potentially reduce impacts on 

emergency services, as well as reduce the overall amount of damage and debris caused by a 

natural disaster. 

Many tools and resources exist to help communities plan, including: 

	 #HurricaneStrong (a partnership among FEMA, NOAA, and the Federal Alliance for 

Safe Homes (FLASH) to prevent hurricane damage to homes through hurricane safety 

and mitigation information) (http://www.flash.org/hurricanestrong/); 

	 All Hazards Waste Management Planning Tool (a tool that walks the user through the 

process of developing a waste management plan for homeland security incidents, 

including natural disasters) (https://wasteplan.epa.gov/); 

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	 CAMEO (Computer-aided Management of Emergency Operations) Chemicals (a tool to 

assist with hazardous material incident response and planning) 

(https://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/); 

	 Climate Change and the Electricity Sector: Guide for Climate Change Resilience 

Planning (September 2016) 

(https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/10/f33/Climate%20Change%20and%20the%20Ele 

ctricity%20Sector%20Guide%20for%20Climate%20Change%20Resilience%20Planning%2 

0September%202016_0.pdf); 

 Disaster Debris Recovery Tool (https://www.epa.gov/large-scale-residentialdemolition/disaster-debris-recovery-tool); 

 Flood hazard maps (https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program-floodhazard-mapping); 

	 Hazard mitigation planning (https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning), 

specifically FEMA’s “Mitigation Ideas: A Resource for Reducing Risk to Natural Hazards” 

document, published January 2013 (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets 

/documents/30627); 

 Hazards U.S. Multi-Hazard (Hazus-MH) (https://www.fema.gov/hazus);
	

 Incident Waste Decision Support Tool (I-WASTE) (registration required)
	

(http://www2.ergweb.com/bdrtool/login.asp);
	

	 Materials Management Wizard (MWiz) (provides a repository of EPA-sourced materials 

management tools and resources to support and promote sustainable materials 

management and community planning) (https://www.epa.gov/sustainability/mwiz); 

	 National Mitigation Framework (addresses how the whole community will develop, 

employ, and coordinate mitigation capabilities to reduce loss of life and property by 

lessening the impact of disasters) (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets 

/documents/32209); 

 National Stormwater Calculator (https://www.epa.gov/water-research/nationalstormwater-calculator); and
	

 U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit (https://toolkit.climate.gov/).
	

Appendix A contains additional tools and resources. 

In addition to debris management planning, communities should review their regulations to 

increase resiliency. Provisions in building codes, zoning, and land use regulations can help 

reduce the damage caused by natural disasters. Communities can find information on buildingrelated resources, including design criteria, new technologies, and building codes, on the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE’s) Building Resilience website at http://www.usace.army.mil 

/Missions/Sustainability/Building-Resilience/. This information can be used to influence the 

adoption of new, alternative codes at the local or state level or to strengthen existing, 

prevailing codes. Also, communities can adopt regulations like steep slope ordinances to 

prevent soil erosion, lessen the likelihood of landslides, and reduce the amount of debris 

produced if a landslide does occur. New land use and building ordinances can also be drafted to 

restrict construction in volcanic areas and floodplains to protect life and property and reduce 

disaster debris. Undeveloped land in coastal wetland areas can act as a buffer against storm 

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surges. In addition to restoring or preserving natural barriers to storm surges, like wetlands, 

coastal communities can also construct barriers to absorb the force of storm surges created by 

hurricanes. 

Conservation and infrastructure projects can also enhance a community’s resiliency. Use of 

porous pavement and green spaces within a city, including vegetation along the edges of streets, 

help mitigate stress to the city’s drainage systems and reduce water pollution. They help absorb 

water during instances of flooding and intense rain. Additionally, larger green spaces, such as 

parks or wildlife reserves, can be used as storm-surge buffers in coastal areas. 

Communities that are prone to wildfires, especially those with forested areas, should consider 

taking precautions like creating firebreaks, thinning densely packed small-diameter trees, and 

slashing brush and shrubs to remove potential fuel. Prescribed burns can also be utilized to 

consume any build-up of dead, damaged, or dry vegetation in a controlled manner to prevent 

the development of large, uncontrolled wildfires that could put the community at risk. 

Communities impacted by fire may be more vulnerable to mud and rockslides due to soil 

erosion for up to two years after a fire. Steeper areas, areas near water drainage routes, and 

areas that experience heavy rainfall are especially vulnerable to mud and rockslides. These 

slides may cause the movement of sediment, rocks, and debris generated by the fire, such as 

downed trees. In addition to regulatory mitigation techniques like steep slope ordinances, 

revegetation and vertical mulching after a fire can help. 

Case Study: Building Resiliency to Flooding in Boulder, Colorado 

Extensive damage caused by the Big Thompson Flood in 1976, as well as later flash floods in 

nearby canyons, provided the impetus for the City of Boulder to adopt a series of urban 

flood planning strategies. Engineering the river by placing jagged rocks and drop structures 

to direct force inwards and stabilize the river channel helped disrupt the energy of 

floodwater. Hinged, breakaway bridges were implemented to reduce damage and blockages 

from debris. These bridges were designed to detach at one end and swing open to disperse 

floodwater force without becoming a source of large, dangerous debris or a location for 

other debris to build up into a blockade. Boulder also constructed concrete bike paths that 

include gates that lock down to create a sealed channel for floodwater diversion, providing 

emergency containment for overflow from the river. Boulder also completed land use 

planning activities, including moving critical facilities, such as gas stations and water 

treatment facilities, away from floodplains. Since the 1960s, the surrounding county has also 

accumulated 48,000 acres of land; this undeveloped, flood-prone land acts as a buffer against 

flood damage. All of the measures taken to reduce flood damage have greatly improved 

community resiliency and significantly lessened the damage Boulder experienced during the 

floods in September 2013. 

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Before undertaking any environmental engineering project, communities should obtain 

necessary approvals or permits (e.g., a Clean Water Act section 404 permit), if applicable, and 

comply with all relevant federal, state, local, and tribal regulations and requirements, including 

local floodplain regulations and FEMA minimum floodplain standards. More information about 

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program can be found at https://www.fema.gov/nationalflood-insurance-program. 

2.1.2 Incorporate Climate Change Adaptation into Debris Management Planning 

With climate change expected to increase the frequency and intensity of some natural disasters 

(http://s3.amazonaws.com/nca2014/low/NCA3_Climate_Change_Impacts_in_the 

_United%20States_LowRes.pdf?download=1), many communities are going beyond resilience 

to anticipate, plan, and prepare for the impacts of extreme weather events. The disaster debrisrelated consequences of major natural disasters may include: 

 Larger quantities of debris resulting from the disaster;
	

 Wider variety of generated debris at one time, including atypical wastes in greater
	

quantities;
	

 Wider area of impact, possibly affecting more than one jurisdiction;
	

 Insufficient debris management capacity to handle surges in necessary recycling,
	

treatment, and disposal of debris; 

	 Greater chances of debris management facilities being impacted by the disaster, resulting 

in a possible decrease in existing capacity for generated debris and reduction of available 

debris management options; 

	 Greater risk of releases from facilities and sites that store chemicals (e.g., industrial 

facilities, underground storage tank sites) and contaminated sites (e.g., Superfund sites, 

brownfields); and 

	 Increased greenhouse gas emissions from debris management activities, such as the 

transportation, treatment, and disposal of large amounts of debris. 

Planners who use EPA’s recommended four-step planning process (see Figure 1 above) can 

incorporate climate change adaptation strategies into the process. 

	 Assuming the worst-case scenario: Under a changing climate, multiple events have 

already affected some communities. Planners should anticipate a combination of impacts 

(e.g., floods and fires), each of which may be intensified because of changing climatic 

conditions. 

	 Team formation: Including climate change officers and sustainability managers who are 

familiar with assessments of climate change vulnerability and projected climate change 

impacts can help planners establish worst-case scenarios. 

	 Reviewing existing plans: The jurisdiction’s climate change adaptation plan, if available, 

will indicate where projected climate change impacts may contribute to future disasters. 

For example, by reviewing climate change adaptation plans, planners can better prepare 

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for how debris management sites and facilities may be affected. Traditional locations that 

have served as staging, storage, treatment, and disposal sites may not be available or 

may lose capacity and integrity due to the impacts of a changing climate. 

	 Collaborating with neighboring jurisdictions: Debris management officials should 

consider working with neighboring jurisdictions to share climate change adaptation 

information and develop possible mutual aid agreements during planning. For example, a 

group of jurisdictions that share significant vulnerabilities, such as coastal flooding and 

storm surge, may benefit from sharing information about more secure debris 

management sites. 

	 Enhancing community resiliency: Planners should address the debris-related challenges 

resulting from climate change, such as increased quantities and types of debris, to 

increase their communities’ resilience to projected climate change impacts. For example, 

planners should select alternate debris management facilities that are located away from 

floodplains and other at-risk areas and identify transportation routes that avoid low-lying 

areas. 

Such planning activities should inform the development of the pre-incident debris management 

plan. Appendix A contains tools and resources on community resiliency and planning, as well as 

other topics, that planners may find helpful. 

2.1.3 Determine Applicable Environmental Regulations and Requirements 

Before a disaster, communities should understand how all debris types must be managed 

according to federal, state, local, and tribal regulations and permits. Once a disaster strikes, 

there will not be time to do extensive research. An effective debris management plan includes a 

catalog of all applicable waste management-related regulations, requirements, issues, and 

considerations. The plan should also include a contact list of pertinent federal, state, local, and 

tribal environmental officials to whom a community could reach out in the event that guidance 

on regulations is needed during cleanup. This list should also include contacts beyond 

environmental officials, such as officials representing transportation, emergency response, public 

health, public works, agricultural, and zoning agencies, as well as FEMA and USACE. Contacts 

for EPA’s regional offices and state environmental agencies can be found on EPA’s website at 

https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa and https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/links-hazardous-wasteprograms-and-us-state-environmental-agencies, respectively. Section 2.2.2 highlights several 

relevant waste management requirements and considerations. 

2.1.4 Identify Available Resources 

The planner should identify and review applicable national, regional, state, local, tribal, 

territorial, and organization-specific emergency programs, plans, and mutual aid agreements, 

including those of bordering jurisdictions (e.g., neighboring countries), as these may be a source 

of helpful and pertinent information and resources, including funding for reimbursement of 

response and recovery efforts. 

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Mutual Aid Agreements 

Communities can enter into mutual aid agreements with neighboring foreign, state, local, and 

tribal governments prior to any natural disaster. Such an agreement could provide for either 

binding commitments or nonbinding intentions of support to assist one another in the event of 

a natural disaster. Through these agreements, communities can borrow equipment, personnel 

with specific expertise or experience, or land for temporary debris management sites. 

An example of a mutual aid agreement between states is the Emergency Management 

Assistance Compact (EMAC). Established in 1996, EMAC is a congressionally ratified agreement 

that establishes a national system that facilitates the transfer of personnel, equipment, 

commodities, and services across state lines during an emergency or disaster. After its 

governor declares an emergency or disaster, a disaster-impacted state can request and receive 

assistance from other member states quickly and efficiently through EMAC, resolving the key 

issues of liability and reimbursement upfront. The assisting states send the requested resources. 

After the cleanup is underway and the requesting state returns to normal operations, the 

assisting states request reimbursement of costs. More information on EMAC can be found at 

https://www.emacweb.org/. 

Mutual aid agreements and resource sharing may be beneficial to tribes whose lands are 

interspersed with non-tribally owned land due to the General Allotment Act of 1887. The 

resultant checkerboard pattern of ownership and jurisdiction on many tribal lands can further 

complicate disaster response efforts. Tribes may want to consider entering into agreements 

with neighboring jurisdictions and non-tribal landowners to share resources and complement 

their waste management efforts. 

Local Resources 

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), which includes 

emergency planning and community right-to-know requirements, establishes emergency 

planning committees. Many local and tribal communities have a Local Emergency Planning 

Committee (LEPC) or Tribal Emergency Planning Committee (TEPC), respectively. Generally, 

the purposes of these emergency planning committees are: development, training, and testing of 

the emergency response plan for the community; development of procedures for regulated 

facilities to provide information and emergency notification to the emergency planning 

committee; development of procedures for receiving and processing requests from the public 

under EPCRA; and public notification of LEPC and TEPC activities. A major role for these 

emergency planning committees is to work with industry and the interested public to 

encourage each local stakeholder to pay continuous attention to chemical safety, risk reduction, 

and accident prevention and provide information about chemicals in the community to citizens. 

To be prepared for a hazardous material incident in a community, the LEPC and TEPC usually 

coordinates with community officials, first responders, and industrial representatives to develop 

a detailed emergency plan to help ensure public safety. Communities can contact their State 

Emergency Response Commission (SERC) or Tribal Emergency Response Commission (TERC) 

to find their LEPC or TEPC (https://www.epa.gov/epcra/local-emergency-planning-committees). 

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Another possible source of information and assistance may be from the administering 

organization of the wasteshed to which a community belongs. A wasteshed is an area, typically 

within a state, consisting of multiple jurisdictions that have a common waste management 

system. These local jurisdictions may collaborate, addressing issues affecting their shared waste 

management system at a regional level. 

Community, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations may also be a resource. Volunteers from 

these organizations may be available after a disaster to assist with debris management activities, 

such as sorting and clearing debris. Volunteers also may be able to help elderly, disabled, and 

incapacitated residents clean out their homes and move the debris to the curb. Communities 

should make sure volunteers receive appropriate health and safety information and training. See 

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website on health information for 

disaster relief volunteers for natural disasters and severe weather at 

https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/volunteers.html. 

Information Sharing 

One of the best ways to prepare for disasters is to learn from other communities’ experiences 

and planning. Section 3 of this document contains lessons learned from past disaster responses 

and case studies. Section 4 lists examples of state, city, and county debris management plans 

and guidance. These case studies and plans are just a few examples; many more are available 

than are captured in this document. For example, other sources of best practices and lessons 

learned from previous natural disasters may be available from the Association of State and 

Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) (http://astswmo.org/) and the Solid 

Waste Association of North America (SWANA) (http://community.swana.org/search 

?executeSearch=true&SearchTerm=disaster+management&l=1). In addition, planners should 

consider: 

 Checking with other communities that have experienced a disaster to learn about 

environmental and legal issues that may have delayed the management of disaster debris; 

 Partnering with similar communities that have prepared or are currently preparing for 

natural disasters, whether in the same state or elsewhere; 

 Developing an information-sharing mechanism with these communities, which may 

include meetings and site visits; 

 Negotiating an agreement, if practicable, with these communities to share staffing and 

equipment resources in the event of a natural disaster; and 

 Having additional experienced personnel that already understand the debris 

management plan to aid in post-disaster cleanup. 

State Resources 

State emergency management and environmental agencies have specific roles to play in 

managing disaster debris. Their websites may contain useful debris management information, 

including state-specific guidelines and requirements, planning documents, and material on past 

17
	
Planning for Natural Disaster Debris 
	

disaster responses. The state emergency management agency serves as the local government’s 

liaison to FEMA during the disaster and cleanup. The state environmental agency may be able to 

make special accommodations for the extraordinary debris management needs resulting from a 

natural disaster. State emergency management and environmental agencies may be able to issue 

emergency management orders to help local governments better manage debris in order to 

protect human health and the environment. The National Emergency Management Association 

can provide state emergency management agency contacts (https://www.nemaweb.org/). 

ASTSWMO represents state and territorial solid waste regulators and can provide appropriate 

contacts and information (http://astswmo.org/state-and-territorial-resources/). 

Private Sector Resources 

Serious natural disasters may quickly overwhelm community resources. In these circumstances, 

communities will likely need to hire private disaster debris management contractors. Often, 

such contractors are experienced in dealing with disaster recovery work, such as establishing 

staging areas, hauling and segregating debris, and coordinating FEMA reimbursement processes. 

It would be beneficial for local officials to identify what disaster debris management contractors 

are in their area prior to a natural disaster. As part of disaster planning, planners should prenegotiate contracts to save time and resources during a response. More information on 

contracting can be found in the 

Equipment and Staffing Needs Section 

below. Case Study: Working with Private 

Companies 

Other private companies and local 

businesses may be able to offer Dell Computer and Best Buy partnered with 

assistance at reasonable rates. EPA, states, and local governments to increase 

Consider checking with local collection and safe recycling of computers and 

companies, preferably before a disaster related electronic equipment, including 

to ensure availability, to see if they monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, 

could offer specific assistance, such as laptops, TVs, VCRs, DVD players, radios, and 

allowing large parking lots to be disks damaged by Hurricane Katrina. More 

converted into debris staging areas or than 220,000 pounds of e-waste were 

community drop-off locations. Waste recycled. 

management facilities and transfer 

stations might be available to serve also 

as debris management sites. Construction companies might be able to make earth-moving 

equipment, water pumps, and other necessary equipment available for immediate use in the 

event of a disaster. Trucking companies might be able to lend trailers, dump trucks, or roll-off 

dumpsters to help with response efforts. Recyclers might be able to send mobile processing 

equipment (e.g., portable crushing plants) to the disaster area. These opportunities are just a 

few examples of how a community can work with the private sector in the event of a disaster. 

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Federal Resources 

Federal assistance supplements state, local, and tribal resources during situations where those 

resources have been or will be overwhelmed. The legal authority for federal assistance in 

natural disasters comes from the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

Act (hereafter referred to as the “Stafford Act”), which sets forth federal disaster relief 

responsibilities, procedures, and conditions for federal assistance. Among many other activities, 

the Stafford Act authorizes debris removal in “the public interest . . . from publicly and privately 

owned lands and water.” In order to receive federal assistance under the Stafford Act, the 

governor of a state or the Chief Executive of a federally recognized tribal government requests 

an emergency or major disaster declaration. The President makes the final decision to declare 

an emergency or major disaster for an area, making the area eligible for federal assistance. 

Federal assistance may include funding (i.e., Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, and Hazard 

Mitigation Assistance) and direct federal assistance (i.e., the work is accomplished by a federal 

agency). The federal assistance available depends on the type of declaration that is declared. 

The disaster declaration process is described in further detail at https://www.fema.gov/disasterdeclaration-process. Information specific to tribal declarations can be found at 

https://www.fema.gov/tribal-declarations-pilot-guidance. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) developed the National Response 

Framework (NRF) to provide a guide on how the U.S. responds to all types of disasters and 

emergencies, and it includes a description of federal support mechanisms for disaster response 

(https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/32230). The NRF categorizes the 

capabilities of federal departments and agencies into fourteen Emergency Support Functions 

(ESFs) (see Figure 3 below) to provide the planning, support, resources, program 

implementation, and emergency services that are most likely to be needed for incidents 

requiring a coordinated federal response (https://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/25512). Different federal agencies coordinate the various ESFs. The 

ESF coordinator is the entity with management oversight for that particular ESF. The 

coordinator has ongoing responsibilities throughout the preparedness, response, and shortterm recovery phases of incident management. The ESFs that address natural disaster debris 

removal are ESF #3, “Public Works and Engineering,” and ESF #10, “Oil and Hazardous 

Materials Response.” DHS makes a final determination as to whether to activate each ESF; not 

all ESFs are necessarily activated in response to all disasters. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Figure 3. Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) Listed in the National Response
	

Framework
	

ESF # Function ESF Coordinator 

1 Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation 

2 Communications U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

(National Protection and Programs Directorate/ 

Office of Cybersecurity and Communications) 

3 Public Works and Engineering U.S. Department of Defense 

(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) 

4 Firefighting U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(U.S. Forest Service) and 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

(Federal Emergency Management Agency/U.S. Fire 

Administration) 

5 Information and Planning U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

(Federal Emergency Management Agency) 

6 Mass Care, Emergency U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Assistance, Temporary Housing, (Federal Emergency Management Agency) 

and Human Services 

7 Logistics U.S. General Services Administration and 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

(Federal Emergency Management Agency) 

8 Public Health and Medical U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Services 

9 Search and Rescue U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

(Federal Emergency Management Agency) 

10 Oil and Hazardous Materials U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Response 

11 Agriculture and Natural U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Resources 

12 Energy U.S. Department of Energy 

13 Public Safety and Security U.S. Department of Justice 

(Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and 

Explosives) 

14 Superseded by the National Disaster Recovery Framework 

15 External Affairs U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

For the recovery process, DHS developed the National Disaster Recovery Framework, which 

can be found at https://www.fema.gov/national-disaster-recovery-framework. This framework 

provides information on how the whole community builds, sustains, and coordinates delivery of 

recovery capabilities. It encourages communities to prepare for recovery before a disaster 

occurs. 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 

FEMA is the lead federal agency that responds to disasters and emergencies to help save lives 

and protect public health, safety, and property. An important resource for state, territorial, 

tribal, and local governments is FEMA’s Public Assistance 

(PA) Program. In April 2018, FEMA published the third 

version of the “Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide 

(PAPPG),” which discusses the PA Program and details the 

eligibility criteria for PA funding (see 

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/ 

111781). Debris removal activities, including clearance, 

removal, and disposal, may be eligible for PA funding “if the 

removal is in the public interest based on whether the 

work: 

 Eliminates immediate threats to lives, public health, 

and safety; 

 Eliminates immediate threats of significant damage 

to improved public or private property; 

 Ensures economic recovery of the affected 

community to the benefit of the community at large; or 

 Mitigates risk to life and property by removing Substantially Damaged structures and 

associated structures and appurtenances as needed to convert property acquired using 

[Hazard Mitigation Grant Program] funds to uses compatible with open space, 

recreation, or wetlands management practices.” (footnotes omitted) 

In the PAPPG, FEMA also describes a pilot program for alternative procedures for debris 

removal. More information about FEMA’s Public Assistance Alternative Procedures (PAAP) 

Pilot Program for Debris Removal can be found at https://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/167472. 

Understanding FEMA’s PA requirements prior to an emergency may enable a community to 

recover the maximum allowable funding for cleanup costs. While not all disaster recovery 

efforts will qualify for federal funding from FEMA, a debris management plan should meet 

FEMA’s requirements in case the disaster is severe enough to qualify for federal funding (see 

Appendix D: Debris Management Plan Job Aid in the PAPPG). FEMA’s Emergency Management 

Institute (EMI) provides a broad variety of emergency management training to federal, state, 

local, and tribal government officials, volunteer organizations, and the public and private 

sectors. Training is offered on debris management planning (e.g., E202: Debris Management 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Planning for State, Tribal, and Local Officials), debris operations under FEMA’s PA Program 

(e.g., IS-632.A: Introduction to Debris Operations), hazardous materials (e.g., IS-5.A: An 

Introduction to Hazardous Materials), the NRF (e.g., IS-800.B: National Response Framework, 

An Introduction), and related topics. A complete listing of EMI’s training courses can be found 

at http://training.fema.gov. 

FEMA also provides pre-disaster mitigation grants to mitigate overall risk from future natural 

disasters. For example, under section 203 of the Stafford Act, pre-disaster mitigation assistance 

is available. Under the National Flood Insurance Act (NFIA), 42 USC 4104c, FEMA provides 

flood mitigation assistance. Under section 20602 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, wildfire 

mitigation assistance may be provided; however, assistance under section 420 of the Stafford 

Act (Fire Management Assistance) must have been provided to the area. For more information 

on FEMA’s hazard mitigation funding programs, please visit FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation 

Assistance website at https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-assistance. 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 

USACE is a public engineering organization that operates within the U.S. Department of 

Defense. Under the NRF, USACE is the coordinator and primary agency for ESF #3, “Public 

Works and Engineering.” USACE also plays key roles in support of FEMA and other federal 

agencies. Typical USACE activities and mission assignments include providing emergency power, 

establishing temporary shelters and housing, providing temporary roofs, assessing building 

structural safety, emergency repair of public infrastructure, providing safe drinking water, and 

performing debris removal and disposal operations. 

USACE maintains seven Debris Planning and Response Teams and ten regional and sub-regional 

contracts for debris operations, all dedicated to supporting state, local, tribal, and territorial 

governments. Under the NRF, USACE provides assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial 

governments through Direct Federal Assistance mission assignments. USACE provides expert 

advice on all aspects of debris management and helps state, local, tribal, and territorial 

governments perform their own debris operations. Direct Federal Assistance is provided at the 

request of the state, local, tribal, or territorial government when the scope of work is beyond 

the capacity of the government to perform. USACE uses its teams and contracts to perform 

the debris operations mission in partnership with the state, local, tribal, or territorial 

government. Additional information can be found on the USACE’s website 

(http://www.usace.army.mil/). 

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Case Study: USACE Support
	

The USACE response to Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005 illustrates the 

type of support USACE provides the nation under ESF #3 in support of FEMA: 

 A total of 6,141 USACE employees supported the response to the hurricanes. 

 The total amount of FEMA’s mission assignments to USACE was $4.4 billion. 

 USACE installed a total of 193,000 temporary roofs. 

 USACE delivered 27 million gallons of water and 232 million pounds of ice. 

 USACE conducted 2,406 generator pre-installation inspections and then installed 914 

generators. 

 USACE removed a total of 38,967,195 cubic yards of debris. 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

EPA is the lead federal agency under ESF #10, “Oil and Hazardous Materials Response.” ESF 

#10 defines “hazardous materials” as a general term intended to mean hazardous substances, 

pollutants, and contaminants as defined in the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution 

Contingency Plan (NCP) and includes chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear substances. 

Under this ESF, EPA can manage orphaned tanks (for propane and other fuels), drums, white 

goods, and household hazardous waste (HHW). EPA can also provide support to state, local, 

tribal, and territorial agencies in properly managing debris deemed hazardous, including HHW. 

EPA is also a support agency to USACE under ESF #3, “Public Works and Engineering.” EPA 

can assist USACE and state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies in identifying disposal sites for 

debris. In addition, EPA can assist with contaminated debris management activities by 

coordinating and/or providing resources, assessments, data, expertise, technical assistance, and 

monitoring. 

Additionally, EPA can assist in identifying potentially impacted facilities, such as industrial 

facilities or Superfund sites, which may require unique debris management approaches. EPA 

responders may deploy during a response to a natural disaster and undertake preliminary 

damage assessments in the impacted communities. EPA can use data it receives under its 

various emergency management programs to identify and locate certain facilities that use and 

store hazardous substances or oil. EPA maintains a GIS-based tool, Enforcement and 

Compliance History Online (ECHO), to locate facilities by city, state, and/or region 

(https://echo.epa.gov/). 

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act 

(CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, and the NCP, EPA may be able to provide support 

even when disasters are not federally declared. Under CERCLA, EPA has authority to respond 

to the release or threatened release into the environment of hazardous substances, as well as 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

pollutants or contaminants that may present an imminent and substantial danger to the public 

health or welfare. 

EPA may also provide funds to state, local, and tribal governments through various programs 

for natural disaster debris management-related activities, including debris management planning. 

For example, tribes and states may apply annually for State and Tribal Response Program 

Grants available under CERCLA section 128(a) through EPA's Brownfields program 

(https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding). These grants provide noncompetitive funding to establish or enhance state and tribal brownfields response programs. 

The development of disaster debris plans that address hazardous substances may be an eligible 

task for funding under this program. 

Funds may also be available to tribes for debris management planning through EPA’s Indian 

Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP). The purpose of the GAP is to assist tribal 

governments to plan, develop, and establish the capacity to implement programs administered 

by EPA and to assist in the development and implementation of solid and hazardous waste 

programs. GAP funding may be used to support activities related to natural disaster debris 

planning and management, as appropriate. Tribes should contact their regional coordinator or 

visit https://www.epa.gov/tribal/indian-environmental-general-assistance-program-gap for more 

information about eligible activities and program requirements. 

In addition, under the Local Governments Reimbursement Program, EPA may reimburse local 

and tribal governments for expenses related to the release or threatened release of hazardous 

substances and associated emergency response measures. Details about this program, including 

eligibility requirements, can be found on EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/emergencyresponse/local-governments-reimbursement-program. 

Communities may apply for more than one source of funding, as appropriate. 

Case Study: EPA Involvement in Hurricane Katrina 

EPA worked with USACE and other federal agencies, state agencies, and local governments 

to facilitate the collection, segregation, and management of HHW. EPA provided extensive 

outreach and technical assistance on topics such as identifying and disposing of electrical 

equipment that may contain PCBs and handling and disposing of debris containing asbestos. 

EPA also set up monitoring stations to monitor air and water quality following Hurricane 

Katrina. Additionally, EPA provided the affected states with technical assistance on the 

management of white goods, as well as on management options for quarantined debris. A 

summary of this assistance can be found at https://archive.epa.gov/katrina/web/html/. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) 

USCG is the primary agency for ESF #10 actions when the incident affects the coastal zone. 

Under ESF #10, the USCG provides support in response to actual or potential discharges 

and/or releases of oil or hazardous materials in the coastal zone. (EPA is the primary agency for 

these responses in inland zones or when the incident affects both the inland and coastal zones.) 

Also, under ESF #3, the USCG marks and coordinates with USACE for the removal of 

obstructions declared to be hazards to navigation, assists in vessel salvage and removal of vessel 

debris, and oversees oil and hazardous substance pollution response operations associated with 

debris removal and salvage operations in the coastal zone in accordance with the NCP (40 CFR 

part 300). 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

The USDA provides leadership, technical expertise, and assistance for food, agriculture, natural 

resources, rural development, and nutrition. In support of these areas, USDA created an online 

Disaster Resource Center (https://www.usda.gov/topics/disaster) with a searchable database 

containing disaster-related resources. This website also includes information on USDA disaster 

assistance programs for farmers, ranchers, and communities, such as the Emergency 

Conservation Program, Emergency Watershed Protection Program, Emergency Loan Program, 

and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish. Under the 

Emergency Conservation Program, funding may be available for farmers and ranchers to 

rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters. The purpose of the Emergency Watershed 

Protection Program is to provide funding to owners, managers, and users of public, private, or 

tribal lands in the event that a natural disaster damaged their watershed area. The Emergency 

Loan Program helps farmers and ranchers recover from production and physical losses due to 

natural disasters or quarantine with emergency loans. Emergency Assistance for Livestock, 

Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish provides emergency assistance for eligible livestock losses 

due to disease and natural disasters. These programs are just a sampling of the assistance 

programs offered by USDA for disasters. 

As a coordinator and primary agency for ESF #11, “Agriculture and Natural Resources,” USDA 

may also provide assistance through the NRF. Under this ESF, the USDA coordinates response 

activities for nutrition assistance, economically devastating outbreaks of plant pest or disease, 

and ensuring the safety and security of the commercial food supply. USDA also supports 

USACE under ESF #3, “Public Works and Engineering,” by providing engineering and 

contracting/procurement personnel and equipment to assist in emergency removal of debris 

(which may include animal carcasses). 

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) FHWA administers the Federal-aid Highway 

Emergency Relief Program. Through this program, FHWA assists in the repair of federal-aid 

highways and roads on federal lands that have suffered serious, widespread damage because of 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

natural disasters or catastrophic failures from an external cause. More information on this 

program can be found at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/erelief.cfm. 

The FHWA also administers the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads Program, which 

assists federal agencies with the repair or reconstruction of tribal transportation facilities, 

federal lands transportation facilities, and other federally owned roads that are open to public 

travel. These transportations facilities and federally owned roads must have suffered serious, 

widespread damage by a natural disaster or catastrophic failure from an external cause. 

Instructions on how federal agencies and tribal governments can apply for this funding are 

found in the program’s manual, which can be found at https://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/erfo/. 

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 

DOT’s FTA administers the Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program. Through this 

program, FTA provides assistance to public transit operators in the aftermath of an emergency 

or major disaster. The program helps states and public transportation systems pay for 

protecting, repairing, and/or replacing equipment and facilities that may suffer or have suffered 

serious damage as a result of an emergency, including natural disasters such as floods, 

hurricanes, and tornadoes. The program can also fund the operating costs of evacuation, rescue 

operations, temporary public transportation service, or reestablishing, expanding, or relocating 

service before, during, or after an emergency. Debris removal is an eligible activity under this 

program. More information on this program can be found at 

https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grant-programs/emergency-relief-program/emergencyrelief-program. 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) 

The BIA’s Emergency Management Division (BIA EM) (https://www.bia.gov/bia/ojs/emd) 

coordinates with and among tribes, other federal agencies, states, and other jurisdictions to 

enhance preparedness and resilience of tribal communities for disasters and to support 

response activities and recovery efforts during incidents. BIA EM supports tribal preparedness 

efforts by providing technical assistance in acquiring training and exercise resources that 

contribute to a tribes’ total preparedness and community resiliency initiatives. In addition, BIA 

EM, in coordination with the Indian Health Service’s Trans Am program, assists tribes in the 

acquisition of equipment and other resources that increase the capacity and capability of a tribe 

to respond to disasters and emergencies in accordance with their emergency operations plans. 

In certain situations, BIA EM personnel may provide emergency response support and incident 

coordination and serve as a liaison between Bureau resources that support emergency 

operations for disasters and emergencies on federal trust lands. BIA EM recognizes tribal 

sovereignty and respects tribal laws, authorities, and policies that govern the actions necessary 

to provide safety for all tribal members, property, and natural and cultural resources. It is the 

intent of the BIA EM to be a support and coordination body that can provide additional 

resource and mission coordination through the Tribal Assistance Coordination Group (TACG). 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

The TAC-G, which is led and managed by BIA EM, assists federally recognized tribes during 

emergencies and disasters and provides information and technical assistance for tribal 

emergency management programs. The TAC-G consists of partners from all levels of 

government (tribal, federal, state, county, local, etc.), as well as non-profit aid organizations and 

the private sector, who understand and respect the uniqueness and sovereignty of tribal 

governments. The TAC-G is identified as a unique coordinating structure in the NRF and is 

instrumental in executing the responsibilities of the Tribal Coordination Support Annex in the 

NRF’s ESF #15. 

The goal of the TAC-G is to provide a focused point of coordination or “one-stop-shop” for 

tribes being impacted by emergencies or disasters. The extremely wide array of partners that 

have emergency management responsibilities and capabilities can be overwhelming for tribes 

that do not yet have fully developed emergency management programs and/or resources. The 

TAC-G connects these partners as a single unit to deliver necessary resources and capabilities 

for unmet needs in as effective and efficient a manner as possible. 

A Rapid Needs Assessment Team (RNAT) can be requested from the TAC-G to help 

specifically identify unmet needs and what capabilities are required for the necessary assistance. 

The RNAT can be a single person or small team of three to five subject matter experts that 

evaluate the entire incident, including public health, engineering, environmental, natural, 

cultural, and historic assessments, or other tribal emergency needs. 

As the TAC-G does not operate under a specific authority, there is no formal request process. 

The initial request can be from the tribal emergency manager or other designated public safety 

official (police, fire, emergency medical services, public works, etc.) via phone or email. After a 

brief scoping call to determine the current situation and unmet needs, the TAC-G requests 

written correspondence (email, etc.) from tribal leadership requesting the assistance and a brief 

overview of the situation discussed on the scoping call. 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 

When funding is available, HUD awards Community Development Block Grant Disaster 

Recovery grants to help communities recover from presidentially declared disasters. Awards 

are typically made to states or local governments, as authorized by Congress. The grants may 

fund a broad range of activities related to disaster relief, long-term recovery, and restoration of 

infrastructure, housing, and economic revitalization. For eligibility requirements and other 

information, visit https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/cdbg-dr/. Also, HUD created a 

Disaster Response Toolkit to aid homeowners and property owners in the disaster recovery 

process. This toolkit includes guidance on how to rehabilitate flooded homes, design and 

construction practices that promote moisture resistance and durability, and preparedness for 

future disasters. It is available at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/disaster-recovery.html. 

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

NOAA, an agency within the Department of Commerce, administers the Marine Debris 

Program (MDP). Under this program, NOAA has a separate statutory authority and mandate 

regarding natural disaster debris, specifically marine debris. Relevant MDP functions authorized 

under the Marine Debris Act (as amended most recently on October 11, 2018 by the Save Our 

Seas Act of 2018, P.L. 115-265) include: 

	 the responsibility to “identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and 

remove marine debris, with a focus on marine debris posing a threat to living marine 

resources and navigation safety” (33 USC 1952(b)(1)). 

	 undertaking outreach and education activities for the public and other stakeholders 

regarding marine debris and its adverse impacts, which support emergency response 

outreach and planning (33 USC 1952(b)(4)). 

	 developing “interagency plans for the timely response to events determined by the 

[NOAA] Administrator to be severe marine debris events, including plans to coordinate 

across agencies and with relevant State, tribal, and local governments to ensure 

adequate, timely, and efficient response” (33 USC 1952(b)(5)(A)). 

	 at the discretion of the NOAA Administrator or at the request of the Governor of an 

affected State, determining whether there is a severe marine debris event (33 USC 

1952(c)). 

	 in the case of an event that the NOAA Administrator determines to be a severe marine 

debris event, assisting in the cleanup and response required by the severe marine debris 

event or conducting such other activity as the NOAA Administrator determines is 

appropriate in response to the severe marine debris event (33 USC 1952(b)(8)). 

The NOAA MDP offers removal, prevention, and research grants. The Community-based 

Marine Debris Removal Grants support locally driven, community-based marine debris removal 

projects, and Marine Debris Prevention Grants support activities to educate the public about 

the issue of marine debris in order to involve audiences in measurable behavior changing 

activities and limit the increase of marine debris in the world’s oceans. Marine Debris Research 

Grants support original, hypothesis-driven research projects focused on the ecological risk 

assessment, exposure studies, and fate and transport of marine debris. More information can be 

found at https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/about-us/funding. 

2.2 Develop a Comprehensive Pre-incident Debris Management Plan 

2.2.1 Consider Using EPA’s Suggested Debris Management Plan Outline 

Communities should document their planning in a pre-incident debris management plan, which 

is Step 2 in EPA’s recommended pre-incident planning process. EPA has created a waste 

management plan outline that can be used to prepare for natural disasters. This outline 

provides a suggested template for a scalable, adaptable pre-incident plan. The specific contents 

and organization of a pre-incident plan are flexible. The outline in Figure 4 provides an example 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

to help emergency planners and managers get started. Appendix B contains the full list of 

suggested content for a typical pre-incident plan and identifies potential issues, resources, and 

tips to help with plan development. Please consult this appendix for more in-depth information 

that should be considered when developing each section of the plan to maximize its benefit 

during an actual incident. 

Figure 4. Suggested Pre-incident Debris Management Plan Outline 

I.		 Plan Overview 

1.		 Scope 

2.		 Planning assumptions 

3.		 List of officials who should be notified in the case of an incident and contact 

information 

4.		 Roles and responsibilities for waste management activities 

5.		 Regulatory requirements 

6.		 Documentation of plan development process 

7.		 Record of plan approvals, reviews, and updates to include any changes made 

II.		 Materials and Debris Streams 

1. List of anticipated debris streams 

2. Description of each debris stream 

III.		 Debris Quantities 

1. Forecast quantity of each type of anticipated debris stream 

2. Method for estimating actual debris quantities during/after a disaster 

IV.		 Waste Characterization Sampling and Analysis 

1. Sampling 

2. Analysis 

3. Quality assurance 

V.		 Debris Management Strategies/Options 

1. Procedures and approaches 

a.		 Minimization 

b.		 Collection 

c.		 Segregation 

d.		 Decontamination (equipment, people, waste/materials) 

e.		 Accumulation/Storage 

f. Monitoring of Debris Management Activities 

2. Pre-selected debris management sites 

a. Debris staging and storage (short-term and long-term) locations 

b. Equipment staging and storage (short-term and long-term) locations 

c. Decontamination and treatment stations 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

VI. Waste Management Facilities 

1. Anticipated types of waste management facilities needed 

2. Specific facilities identified 

VII. Transportation 

1. Logistical options 

2. Routes (including maps) 

3. Hauler information 

VIII. Debris and Material Tracking and Reporting System 

1. General principles 

2. Databases or other tracking software to be used 

3. Debris tracking report templates 

IX. Community Communications/Outreach Plan 

1. Strategy 

2. Contact information for key stakeholder groups 

3. Pre-scripted information for debris management activities involving the public 

4. Information for a response website once a disaster occurs 

X. Health and Safety for Debris Management Activities 

XI. Resource Summary 

1. Resource needs 

2. Resource sources 

a. Mutual Aid Agreements 

b. Pre-negotiated contracts 

c. Specialized experts 

3. Specialized technical assistance contacts 

4. Contracting 

a. Emergency procurement procedures 

b. Contract oversight plan 

5. Cost accounting/financial management 

6. FEMA eligibility guidance 

RECOMMENDED APPENDICES
	

 Job Aids for debris management staff positions
	

 List of training classes available for different debris management roles
	

 Pre-written debris management emergency ordinances, orders, directives,
	

declarations, designations, permits, etc. 

 Maps of waste management facilities and sites, transportation routes, critical waste 

management infrastructure, and key resources 

 Links to health and safety information 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

	 Protective Action Guides (https://www.epa.gov/radiation/protective-action-guidespags) 

	 Glossary and list of acronyms 

2.2.2 Identify Debris Types and Forecast Amounts 

Possible Material and Waste Streams 

Planners should assess the types of materials and wastes that will likely make up disaster debris 

based on the characteristics and features of their communities and the types of disasters that 

are likely to happen in their communities. For example, planners in communities with large 

industrial and commercial areas should plan for different debris streams and volumes of debris 

than planners in agricultural and rural communities. Communities with industries and 

commercial enterprises should coordinate with these businesses regarding debris management. 

Communities with older housing stock may need to pay special attention to the potential 

presence of asbestos-containing material (ACM) (https://www.epa.gov/asbestos 

/protect-your-family), PCB-containing waste, mercury-containing devices, such as thermostats, 

and lead-based paint. Also, some types of debris result more frequently from certain types of 

natural disasters. For example, planners on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts faced with responding 

to hurricanes, which generate vegetative debris, C&D debris, building contents, animal 

carcasses, and displaced soils and sediments, likely need to plan for different debris streams and 

volumes than planners in the West who are more often confronted with earthquakes and 

wildfires, which generate asphalt, ash, C&D debris, and building contents. 

Generally, natural disaster debris can include: 

	 ACM (e.g., asbestos pipe wrap, siding, and ceiling and floor tiles); 

	 Ammunition and explosives; 

	 Animal carcasses; 

	 Ash; 

	 Asphalt; 

	 Building contents (e.g., furniture, personal property); 

	 Commingled debris (i.e., a mixture of many debris types, such as C&D debris, vegetative 

debris, HHW, and building contents); 

	 C&D debris (e.g., mixed metals, masonry materials, concrete, lumber, asphalt shingles); 

	 Cylinders and tanks; 

	 Electronics waste (e-waste) (e.g., televisions, computers, cell phones); 

	 Food waste (e.g., rotten food from grocery stores, restaurants, and residences); 

	 Hazardous waste (e.g., batteries, pesticides, solvents, paint thinners, mercury-containing 

devices); 

	 HHW (e.g., household cleaners, freezer and refrigerator coolant); 

	 Lead-based paint; 

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 Marine or waterway debris; 

 Medical waste; 

 Metals; 

 Mixed waste (i.e., waste containing both radioactive and hazardous waste components); 

 Municipal solid waste (MSW); 

 PCB-containing waste (e.g., transformers, capacitors, other electrical equipment); 

 Pharmaceuticals; 

 Radiological-contaminated waste (e.g., hospital equipment); 

 Scrap tires; 

 Soils, sediments, and sandbags; 

 Treated wood (e.g., utility poles, fencing, decks); 

 Used oil and oil-contaminated waste; 

 Vegetative debris (or green waste) (e.g., uprooted trees, branches, stumps, leaves); 

 Vehicles and vessels; and 

 White goods (i.e., household appliances, such as stoves, refrigerators, washers/dryers, 

air conditioner units). 

Waste Management Requirements and Considerations 

Planners should open a dialogue with regulators (e.g., EPA regional office) as early as possible to 

discuss potential debris generation and debris management options. EPA has developed IWASTE, a web-based tool that contains links to waste transportation guidance, treatment and 

disposal facilities, state regulatory offices, packaging guidance, and guidance to help minimize the 

potential for contaminating treatment or disposal facilities. Access to this decision support tool 

requires pre-registration (http://www2.ergweb.com/bdrtool/login.asp). 

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) – Disaster Debris 

Most debris generated is likely regulated under RCRA. Under RCRA, EPA issues regulations 

and guidelines to properly manage hazardous (Subtitle C) and nonhazardous (Subtitle D) solid 

wastes. EPA also provides support and technical assistance to state and local governments on 

how to manage these wastes. The RCRA regulations generally define a waste as hazardous if it: 

1) is a listed waste (40 CFR §§ 261.31-261.33), or 2) exhibits specific characteristics (40 CFR §§ 

261.21-261.24). States have assumed the primary responsibility to implement the hazardous 

waste regulations and play the lead role in implementing nonhazardous waste programs 

(minimum federal requirements at 40 CFR §§ 257 and 258). (EPA implements the hazardous 

waste program in Alaska and Iowa.) States can impose more stringent requirements than the 

federal program. 

All hazardous and nonhazardous solid wastes should be managed in accordance with applicable 

federal, state, local, and tribal regulations. For example, all regulated hazardous wastes should 

be managed in appropriate hazardous waste treatment or disposal facilities that comply with 

federal, state, local, and tribal regulations. Also, hazardous materials are subject to DOT’s 

Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR parts 171-180), which impose requirements related 

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to classification, hazard communication, packaging, and training. For more information on the 

federal regulations that apply to hazardous waste management, please visit 

https://www.epa.gov/hw. In addition, to support the implementation of RCRA, EPA manages an 

extensive database that documents EPA’s interpretations of the RCRA regulations. The RCRA 

Online database is available on EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/rcra. Links to state solid 

and hazardous waste programs and environmental agencies can be found at 

https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/links-hazardous-waste-programs-and-us-stateenvironmental-agencies. 

National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) – ACM 

RCRA is not the only statute that may apply to natural disaster debris; for example, the Clean 

Air Act may also apply. Planners should be aware that there are regulations that govern the 

removal and management of ACM that may be found in structures (e.g., in attic and wall 

insulation, ceiling and floor tiles, roofing and siding shingles) affected by a natural disaster. These 

regulations may affect the demolition and deconstruction of buildings and subsequent debris 

removal. Planners should consider, as part of their planning activities, how to handle such 

situations and how to advise the public. To the extent that demolition or renovation activities 

are necessary in connection with any such facility, the requirements of the federal asbestos 

regulations under NESHAP, authorized by the Clean Air Act, may be applicable (40 CFR part 

61, subpart M). Also, in some instances, individual states have promulgated their own asbestos 

regulations and are authorized to take the lead in implementing and enforcing them. EPA 

published “Guidance for Catastrophic Emergency Situations Involving Asbestos” in December 

2009, which discusses federal asbestos regulations, the types of asbestos issues that may arise 

during catastrophic events, and how EPA has addressed such issues (https://www.epa.gov/largescale-residential-demolition/guidance-catastrophic-emergency-situations-involving-asbestos). 

This document includes information on: 

 Exposure concerns for emergency responders and others in the immediate area; 

 Cleanup and disposal of debris that may be contaminated with asbestos; 

 Demolition and renovation of buildings during recovery efforts; and 

 Transport and disposal of material that may contain asbestos. 

As described in NESHAP, regulated ACM must be removed prior to demolition under the 

supervision of a person trained in accordance with the regulations. All ACM must also be 

removed prior to the intentional burning of a facility (see 40 CFR § 61.145(c)(10)). The material 

must be adequately wetted throughout the process and disposed of properly, which may 

include labeling, transportation requirements, tracking the waste, recordkeeping, and disposal in 

a landfill that meets specific NESHAP requirements. Many MSW and C&D landfills have handling 

procedures for wastes suspected to contain asbestos. Contact the state or landfill for guidance 

and information on state-specific asbestos regulations. 

To the extent that an entity is dealing with debris from structures already demolished by a 

natural disaster (as opposed to human demolition), the requirements of the asbestos NESHAP 

(or the state equivalent) may not be applicable. If there is any question as to the applicability of 

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the asbestos regulations, contact and coordinate with the appropriate federal, state, tribal, and 

local authorities. Additional information, including EPA and state contacts, can be found at 

https://www.epa.gov/asbestos. Planners should also be aware that in past disaster recovery 

efforts, communities were able to secure No Action Assurance (NAA) letters from EPA that 

allow for more regulatory flexibility in removing damaged structures that may contain asbestos 

in times of extreme hardship, although the issuance of NAA letters happens only in extremely 

unusual situations. These NAA letters allowed the demolition of entire structures without first 

removing asbestos, but the entire structure must then be managed as ACM. Planners should 

assess the possibility of hardship due to the amount of ACM that could be generated by a 

natural disaster in their area and determine the steps that would be needed to request an NAA 

letter. More information about NAA letters and when they may be issued can be found in 

EPA’s “Guidance for Catastrophic Emergency Situations Involving Asbestos” at 

https://www.epa.gov/large-scale-residential-demolition/guidance-catastrophic-emergencysituations-involving-asbestos. 

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – PCBs 

PCB-containing waste is subject 

to cleanup and disposal in 

accordance with TSCA 

regulations in 40 CFR part 761. 

To answer questions regarding 

the assessment, cleanup, and 

disposal of PCBs during and 

immediately after an emergency 

situation caused by a natural 

disaster, EPA published guidance 

on “Planning for Polychlorinated 

Biphenyl-Containing Disaster 

Debris” in June 2011 

(https:/www.epa.gov/homelandsecurity-waste/guidance-about-planning-polychlorinated-biphenyl-containing-disaster-debris). 

Debris management personnel should notify the local electric utility if a downed utility pole is 

encountered. If a transformer appears to be leaking and does not have a sticker declaring that it 

is PCB-free, personnel should immediately notify the regional EPA office and the electric utility, 

as well as restrict public access to the area using temporary fencing or barrier tape. In the 

absence of identifying information, responders should assume a transformer contains PCBs. 

More information about the management of PCB-containing waste can be found at 

https://www.epa.gov/pcbs. This website lists facilities that can store and dispose of PCB wastes. 

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Case Study: PCB Guidance for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma 

Recently, EPA Regions 6 and 4 issued guidance documents providing flexibility in the 

cleanup and disposal of certain PCB-containing disaster waste generated during Hurricane 

Harvey and Hurricane Irma, respectively, under emergency response and similar provisions 

of the TSCA PCB regulations. Each document was developed specifically for the particular 

hurricane in each region and did not apply more broadly or in other contexts. These 

documents primarily provided for the cleanup and disposal of covered waste based on the 

PCB concentration of the materials on which PCBs were spilled (the as-found 

concentration), rather than the PCB concentration of the spilled material (source 

concentration), in specific circumstances when it would have been difficult to determine the 

source concentration. This flexibility was intended to allow for a more expeditious 

response to cleanup and disposal of covered PCB-containing disaster waste in order to 

mitigate exposures and potential risks from PCB spills. 

Special Handling and Management for Specific Debris Streams 

Other debris streams may require special handling and management too. For example, while 

many appropriate management options, including reuse and recycling options, exist for C&D 

debris, a small percentage of this debris contains constituents of potential concern that can be 

harmful to human health and the environment if improperly managed (e.g., lead, mercury). A 

non-exhaustive list of harmful materials that may be found in debris from residential property 

can be found on EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/large-scale-residential-demolition 

/harmful-materials-and-residential-demolition. For many of these constituents, protective 

federal regulations or guidance are in place to prevent or restrict the use of the material or to 

recommend best management practices. A party managing C&D debris with federally regulated 

constituents must meet the requirements and standards of all applicable federal regulations. 

Many states and local governments have also established their own requirements for harmful 

constituents in C&D debris. 

Drywall (also known as sheetrock or wallboard) is an example of a C&D material that should 

be managed with certain considerations in mind. Most C&D drywall generated in a disaster will 

likely be managed through disposal in a landfill. Disposal of drywall in landfills can generate 

significant emissions under certain landfill conditions. Drywall contains a gypsum core 

sandwiched between two sheets of paper. Under the anaerobic conditions that exist in landfills 

and in the presence of moisture, drywall decomposition has been shown to generate hydrogen 

sulfide (H2S) gas. H2S may pose an odor problem and, in very large concentrations, may pose a 

health risk to landfill workers and nearby residents. In response to significant H2S emissions in a 

Warren, Ohio landfill, which caused a Superfund action, EPA issued a report in August 2014 on 

Best Management Practices to Prevent and Control Hydrogen Sulfide and Reduced Sulfur Compound 

Emissions at Landfills That Dispose of Gypsum Drywall (EPA/600/R-14/039). This report provides 

regulatory agencies, landfill owners and operators, and other interested parties with scientific 

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information around H2S issues at landfill sites and recommends best management practices to 

limit H2S emissions. For more information and to help ensure proper management when C&D 

drywall cannot be recycled, please see EPA’s report on best management practices for drywall 

at https://nepis.epa.gov/Adobe/PDF/P100NG53.pdf. 

Other examples of problematic debris streams include 

ammunition and explosives. Collection and management 

of ammunition and explosives should be done in 

coordination with state, tribal, and local law 

enforcement, and these items should be transported as 

required by federal hazardous materials transportation 

law. Prompt collection of this waste stream can be 

important to ensure the safety of the public. White 

goods containing refrigerants, food, and other 

putrescible 

wastes may require special handling and management 

as well. Before these appliances can be managed, the 

refrigerants and putrescible wastes should be removed 

and managed in a safe and proper manner. Also, above 

ground and underground storage tanks could 

potentially release petroleum or hazardous substances 

that pose significant risk to health, safety, and the 

environment. Storage tanks should always be 

addressed with care. If, for example, gasoline pumps or 

vent pipes are present near a damaged building or if an unknown tank or cylinder is discovered, 

debris collection activities should be stopped, the area sealed off, and the state environmental 

agency should be contacted for assistance. Additional information can be found at 

https://www.epa.gov/ust. 

Formosan termites, Ash Borers, and other pests may restrict the shipment of vegetative debris 

to other geographical areas. Therefore, vegetative debris should be monitored for signs of 

pests. Planners should consult with their state agricultural departments for guidance on pests of 

concern within their geographical area. If pesticides are used to control pests on vegetative or 

other debris, communities should ensure that the pesticides are properly registered with EPA 

and the state or territory, that label instructions are strictly followed, and that pesticide 

applicators are properly trained and have current certification, especially if restricted use 

pesticides are applied. 

Debris Forecasting 

Before a natural disaster occurs, planners should forecast the amount of debris that different 

types and sizes of natural disasters may generate to understand the possible scope and scale of 

debris cleanup efforts. These estimates can be based on previous experience or can be made 

using forecasting tools and should consider potential debris runoff from upland/upstream, 

depending on the geography and topography of the community. Past disasters in other areas 

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can also give planners an idea of the quantities and types of debris that are likely to be 

generated. Due to the unpredictable nature of natural disasters, planners will not be able to 

obtain completely accurate numbers from forecasting tools or past experience. However, 

knowing possible ranges of debris that may be generated provides planners with valuable 

information that can help them determine their waste management needs, including number of 

waste management sites and facilities, equipment, and personnel. A description of debris 

management activities from recent disasters is presented in Section 3. 

FEMA’s Hazus-MH program is a nationally applicable standardized methodology and software 

program that estimates potential losses from earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. Hazus-MH 

uses state-of-the-art Geographic Information System (GIS) software to map and display hazard 

data and the results of damage and economic loss estimates for buildings and infrastructure. It 

also allows users to estimate the impacts of earthquakes, hurricane winds, and floods on 

populations. Planners can find more information and instructions for downloading the latest 

version of Hazus-MH for free by visiting https://www.fema.gov/hazus. 

USACE develops Disaster Impact Models for hurricanes about to make landfall that planners 

can use to narrow their hurricane debris estimates. USACE uses geospatial tools to provide 

estimates of possible debris volumes, number of people and households likely to be impacted 

by hurricane force winds, and possible temporary roofing and housing needs about three days 

prior to a forecasted hurricane landfall. The model results of current and past storms can be 

found on USACE’s website (http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Operations 

/Disaster-Impact-Models/). 

EPA also developed a debris estimator for natural disasters. As part of I-WASTE, EPA provides 

a Waste Materials Estimator that can generate order of magnitude estimates for the types and 

quantities of materials that may require decontamination and/or disposal. This tool can 

generate waste estimates for open spaces and various structures. Estimates can be based on 

default parameter or user-specified values. This tool can be accessed at 

http://www2.ergweb.com/bdrtool/login.asp. 

2.2.3 Evaluate Debris Management Options 

EPA has developed a recommended four-tiered hierarchy (see Figure 5 below) to guide waste 

management decision-making. Prior planning for potential disasters should include identifying 

opportunities for source reduction and waste minimization. However, once disaster debris has 

been generated, communities should be prepared to manage it. For any disaster, an important 

goal of debris management should be to reduce the amount of disposable waste to preserve 

valuable, limited landfill space by reusing and recycling as much debris as possible. Being 

prepared will help officials manage debris in an environmentally responsible manner by ensuring 

that: 1) debris segregation is optimized; 2) storage or staging sites are located in acceptable 

areas; 3) reuse and recycling opportunities are utilized to the fullest extent possible; 4) 

hazardous wastes and other problematic waste streams (e.g., ACM, PCB-containing wastes) are 

properly managed; 5) available landfill capacity is used appropriately; and 6) new debris 

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management units or closed units that are reopened have appropriate siting restrictions and 

controls in place. 

After the amounts and types of debris are forecasted, planners should assess the area’s capacity 

to manage the anticipated 

debris. Waste management 

Figure 5. Debris Management Hierarchy facilities, including reuse, 

recycling, combustion, and 

disposal facilities, should be 

inventoried, along with 

their daily and overall 

capacities for each debris 

stream they are permitted 

to receive. Each facility’s 

ability to manage additional 

debris beyond their normal 

or permitted daily load 

should be evaluated. 

Planners should keep in 

mind that a waste 

management facility may be 

impacted by a disaster, as 

well, which could affect its 

ability to manage debris. 

Planners are also encouraged to check the compliance histories of potential facilities with their 

state, local, or tribal officials or use EPA's Enforcement and Compliance History Online 

(ECHO) national database to search compliance and enforcement information for regulated 

facilities (https://echo.epa.gov/). Communities generally should avoid sending disaster debris to 

facilities with poor compliance histories to the maximum extent feasible, even if it reduces 

available capacity within the area, to prevent potential problems in the future. 

If there is not sufficient capacity to manage the predicted amount of debris in the immediate 

area, waste management facilities in neighboring communities, states, or regions should also be 

identified. EPA recommends that contacts for all waste management facilities be listed for quick 

reference along with the facilities’ physical locations, including latitude and longitude 

coordinates, Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, and/or road maps. Lists of any other 

necessary service providers (e.g., demolition contractors, refrigerant removers, licensed 

exterminators), as well as their compliance histories, should also be compiled. 

To help planners determine debris management options, I-WASTE provides a searchable list of 

treatment and disposal facilities, which was largely compiled using data from EPA and publicly 

available sources, a downloadable KMZ file with the same geolocated facilities suitable for 

incorporation into GIS visualization and analysis, and useful resources on recycling various 

materials. The facilities contained within I-WASTE include: 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

 MSW landfills;
	

 C&D landfills;
	

 Hazardous waste landfills;
	

 MSW combustion facilities;
	

 Hazardous waste combustion facilities;
	

 Medical waste incinerators;
	

 Wood-fired boilers; and
	

 Electric arc furnaces.
	

In addition, EPA’s Disaster Debris Recovery Tool provides locations and information for 12 

types of facilities to promote the proper and safe recovery, recycling, and disposal of debris at 

https://www.epa.gov/large-scale-residential-demolition/disaster-debris-recovery-tool. Users 

such as EPA, state, and tribal emergency planners and responders have used the tool’s 

interactive map to search by location or proximity and quickly create an inventory of debris 

management facilities. Also, EPA provides state-by-state contact information about programs 

that relate to large-scale residential demolition to help determine appropriate management 

options in each state (https://www.epa.gov/large-scale-residential-demolition/state-demolitioninformation#main-content). 

Options available for each debris stream should be documented in a pre-incident debris 

management plan. All information (e.g., capacity, capability, contact information, hours of 

operation) should be verified with each facility to ensure the most current, updated information 

is included in the plan. While I-WASTE does not direct the user on how or where to manage 

debris, it allows facilities to be searched by type and location. Anyone interested in accessing 

this online tool may request a user name and password at http://www2.ergweb.com 

/bdrtool/login.asp. 

Transportation needs are also very important 

to consider. When planning, communities 

should consider how far debris management 

sites and facilities are from the impacted 

area, how debris could be transported to 

them, and what regulations may apply (e.g., 

RCRA, DOT, state-specific). A community 

should evaluate different options for moving 

debris to preferred facilities and consider all 

forms of transportation, including rail and 

barge. Rail and barge are high-capacity 

options that may significantly ease the 

logistics of moving large volumes of debris 

but may not be conveniently located to either the debris field or the debris management site or 

facility. Trucks may be able to travel more easily to sites and facilities, but many trucks may be 

needed to handle large debris volumes, crowding roads and communities. Planners should 

consider that major transportation routes and traditional access routes might be damaged or 

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blocked by debris; alternative and backup routes, as well as sites and facilities, should be 

identified. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Transportation Routing Analysis 

Geographic Information System (TRAGIS) can be consulted to determine transportation routes 

(https://webtragis.ornl.gov/tragis/app/login). 

Reuse and Recycling 

Considerations for Reuse and Recycling 

Many of the materials generated by natural disasters are recoverable and can be utilized. The 

amount of debris that may be recoverable from a specific natural disaster depends on many 

factors, including the nature of the disaster, types of debris generated, extent of contamination, 

robustness of existing recycling infrastructure, available capacity at recycling facilities, and 

accessible end markets. EPA recommends that debris management plans include strategies for 

recovering debris for reuse and recycling. Planning for reuse and recycling before a disaster 

occurs, including creating a segregation strategy and finding recyclers who are able to accept 

debris, increases the likelihood that debris can be reused and recycled during a disaster 

response. Due to the large volumes of debris produced by natural disasters, reuse and recycling 

can be effective tools to lessen the burden on disposal facilities, save landfill space, and reduce 

recovery effort costs. Recycling also conserves natural resources by replacing them with 

recovered products that perform similar functions and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. 

In addition to potential environmental and economic benefits, reuse and recycling may provide 

cultural benefits. If historic resources, especially historic districts with a high concentration of 

cultural resources in one area, are impacted by a natural disaster, communities can put controls 

in place to segregate out debris that may be historic in nature and could possibly be reused or 

recycled. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and 

associated guidelines for preserving, rehabilitating, restoring, and reconstructing historic 

buildings provide a framework and guidance for decision-making about work or changes to a 

historic property. These standards, in part, call for the preservation of distinctive materials, 

features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a 

property. For more information, please visit https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards.htm. 

When considering debris reuse and recycling, disaster plans should include criteria and different 

options for each debris stream, priorities for reuse and recycling, necessary contracts, and 

possible markets for recycled debris. Communities should consult FEMA on these priorities 

during the planning stage before a disaster to help ensure reimbursement. 

Communities with a pre-established reuse and recycling program can take advantage of their 

existing networks (e.g., materials recovery facility (MRF)). Additionally, communities can expand 

current recycling practices before a disaster rather than attempting to design and implement 

new policies during a disaster response. Having a pre-existing recycling infrastructure removes 

many of the permitting, compliance, collection, processing, marketing, and contracting 

difficulties that communities face in a post-disaster situation. While implementing reuse and 

recycling plans is easier if a community can rely on infrastructure that is already in place, 

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communities without robust recycling programs can still create new reuse and recycling 

opportunities during a disaster. All potential recyclers should be verified before debris is sent 

to them to make sure the debris is being legitimately and responsibly recycled. EPA developed a 

two-page guide to help generators of secondary hazardous materials choose a 

responsible recycler, the basic principles of which may be applicable to debris streams 

(https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/choosing-responsible-recycler-guide-generators-secondaryhazardous-materials). In addition, EPA’s website contains information on finding responsible 

recyclers of certain white goods (i.e., refrigerated appliances, such as refrigerators, freezers, 

window air-conditioning units, and dehumidifiers) (https://www.epa.gov/rad/find-rad-partnerprograms) and electronics (https://www.epa.gov/smm-electronics/certified-electronicsrecyclers). 

Communities should also consider available reuse and recycling opportunities in other regions, 

states, and countries, including materials (or waste) exchanges. Materials exchanges, which 

connect those with unwanted materials to those looking for the same type of material, may be 

able to provide additional sources for getting large quantities of materials returned to market 

rather than being burned or disposed. While transporting materials long distances may increase 

cost and environmental impact (e.g., the further a material must be moved, the more fuel will 

be burned to move it there), these potential disadvantages should be balanced against other 

factors, including limited capacity available at disposal facilities and long-term environmental 

consequences (e.g., depleting natural resources). Provisions may be needed to store the 

material for an extended period of time before recycling can occur. For some materials (e.g., 

HHW), however, regulations may restrict how long such materials can be stored. Planners 

should check with federal, state, tribal, and local environmental officials for possible restrictions. 

In addition, planners should check with state officials and recycling facilities to determine any 

applicable requirements pertaining to the reuse and recycling of debris streams, such as 

vegetative debris, building materials, and e-waste. Communities should confirm with recycling 

facilities their acceptance criteria (e.g., condition, size) for debris and discuss under what 

circumstances debris is no longer suitable for recycling. These circumstances may vary by 

debris stream, disaster, and individual facility. For example, e-waste that has been damaged by 

floodwaters might be accepted by recyclers if the items are clean (e.g., no mud or mold) and 

dried. Reuse and recycling opportunities for clean (i.e., not treated or painted) wood, however, 

may be limited if it has been in a flood. Even if dried, the wood might no longer be structurally 

sound or aesthetically appropriate for reuse or recycling in some applications (e.g., reuse in 

structural elements) but may be fine in other applications (e.g., as an interior finish material) or 

as boiler fuel. Metal that has been in floodwaters would likely still be able to be recycled as 

scrap metal. In searching for markets for disaster debris, communities should contact recyclers 

of scrap metal, white goods, vegetative debris, concrete, asphalt, and electronics, among others, 

before a disaster occurs to determine what they would accept. If possible, communities should 

pre-negotiate contracts with them. Planners should identify in the debris management plan 

where different debris streams may be sent for recycling, how to process the material 

according to market specifications, what equipment is needed to process the debris, and if any 

contracts are in place. 

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Health and safety requirements should also be considered when handling debris for reuse, 

recycling, or other purposes. Some debris may contain constituents that can be harmful to 

human health and the environment. Federal, state, local, and tribal requirements and policies 

may be applicable to these harmful constituents. For example, ACM, PCBs, and lead-based paint 

may be found in a portion of C&D debris. Management of this debris must meet the 

requirements and standards of all applicable regulations. Precautions should be taken by waste 

handlers, transporters, and facilities to protect human health and the environment (e.g., 

monitor debris to identify and segregate harmful materials). For examples of potentially harmful 

constituents that may be found in residential disaster debris and their management 

considerations, please see EPA’s Harmful Materials and Residential Demolition webpage at 

https://www.epa.gov/large-scale-residential-demolition/harmful-materials-and-residentialdemolition. 

Reuse and Recycling by Debris Stream 

CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION (C&D) DEBRIS 

When controls are in place to segregate out debris that is inappropriate for reuse and recycling 

(e.g., ACM), various materials in the C&D debris stream can be successfully managed into new 

productive uses. In some cases, they can be reused as is, while in others they might first be 

resized, refinished, or reprocessed. For example, concrete can be broken up for use as 

aggregate in roads and bridges, bricks can be cleaned up for reuse, metals can be screened out 

for recycling, and organic materials, such as wood, can be reprocessed into compost or mulch. 

Furthermore, in accordance with the RCRA non-hazardous secondary material (NHSM) 

regulations, C&D wood may be able to be burned as fuel for energy if it has been processed in 

accordance with best management practices and the 

combustor has obtained a written certification to that effect 

prior to burning (see the Waste-to-Energy Section below). 

Before recycling large quantities of C&D debris resulting from 

a disaster, communities should contact the appropriate state, 

local, or tribal agency on possible issues, such as lead in ash 

resulting from burning lead-bearing paint and the presence of 

ACM (refer to the National Emissions Standards for 

Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) – ACM Section above for 

more information on managing ACM). The environmentally 

responsible reuse and recycling of C&D debris conserves raw 

materials, offsets environmental impacts of the extraction and 

production processes needed for new materials, reduces 

landfilling impacts, and conserves landfill space. 

 Asphalt and Asphalt Shingles: Chunks of asphalt from

damaged roads and asphalt shingles from roofing can

be crushed and reused as new asphalt pavement mixes. 

Asphalt shingles can also serve two purposes at a

cement kiln: combustion of the shingles provides energy in the kiln and the remaining

Source: FEMA/Suzanne Everson

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mineral components containing the limestone granules serve as a raw material for 

cement. Information about recycling asphalt can be found on the Asphalt Recycling & 

Reclaiming Association’s website at http://www.arra.org/. More information on recycling 

asphalt shingles can be found at http://www.shinglerecycling.org. 

	 Concrete and Masonry Materials: Heavy masonry materials, such as bricks and blocks, 

and concrete can be crushed into an aggregate and reused as a base for new roads, 

added to concrete mix, and used for pipe bedding, soil stabilization, and various other 

landscaping purposes. Depending on its quality and condition, brick, unlike concrete, can 

be simply reused. For example, decorative brick that is recovered undamaged holds 

significant aesthetic appeal and can be reused in interior decorative portions of buildings 

or small-scale repairs. See USACE’s Public Works Technical Bulletin 200-1-44 on 

Recycling Exterior Building Finish Materials for more information at http://wbdg.org 

/ffc/army-coe/public-works-technical-bulletins-pwtb/pwtb-200-1-44. Additional 

information about recycling concrete can be found on the Construction & Demolition 

Recycling Association’s (CDRA’s) website at https://cdrecycling.org/materials/concrete/. 

	 Gypsum Drywall: Although drywall is typically landfilled, reuse and recycling 

opportunities for drywall potentially exist. Depending on state, local, and tribal 

regulations, gypsum can be removed for reuse in new drywall, cement production, and 

fertilizer production. In addition, gypsum can be used to improve soil drainage and 

facilitate composting; however, the composting system must be kept aerobic to prevent 

the production of H2S. (See the Special Handling and Management for Specific Debris 

Streams Section above for more information regarding drywall and H2S.) State, local, and 

tribal agencies should be consulted to determine the regulations and requirements that 

must be met for gypsum recycling. Information about recycling gypsum drywall can be 

found on CDRA’s website at https://cdrecycling.org/materials/gypsum-drywall/. 

	 Mixed Metals: Metal can almost always be reclaimed from C&D metal products, and 

such reclamation opportunities are available across the country. More information can 

be found on the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries’ website (http://www.isri.org) or 

the Steel Recycling Institute’s website (http://www.recycle-steel.org). 

	 Other C&D Debris: Other types of C&D debris can be reused and recycled as well. 

Information about reuse and recycling of C&D debris can be found on EPA’s website at 

https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-management-construction-and-demolitionmaterials. The Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center provides additional 

compliance information (http://www.cicacenter.org). Further information, including lists 

of C&D debris recyclers and reuse stores, can be found on CDRA’s website 

(http://www.cdrecycling.org/), on the Building Materials Reuse Association’s (BMRA’s) 

website (https://bmra.org/), and in the Whole Building Design Guide’s Construction 

Waste Management Database (http://www.wbdg.org/additional-resources/tools 

/construction-waste-management-database). Communities should also contact their 

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state or local environmental protection agencies for more information on C&D debris 

recycling. 

ELECTRONICS WASTE (E-WASTE) 

E-waste can be generated by any type of natural 

disaster and includes televisions, desktop and 

laptop computers, computer attachments, 

stereo equipment, tablets, cell phones, and other 

electronic devices. Used electronics have special 

handling needs and should be managed 

separately from waste going to materials 

recovery facilities (MRFs). Moreover, many 

states and territories have mandatory take back 

requirements and/or landfill bans on used 

electronics. Computer monitors and older TV 

picture tubes using cathode ray tube (CRT) 

technology contain an average of four pounds of 

lead and 

may require special handling in accordance with state 

regulations, although the prevalence of CRTs is much 

lower than it was previously. As technology advances, 

the composition of electronics continues to change. 

For example, many lead-containing CRTs have been 

replaced with flat-screen televisions that may have 

backlighting that contains mercury. In addition to lead 

and mercury, electronics can contain lithium-ion 

batteries, chromium, cadmium, beryllium, nickel, zinc, 

and brominated flame retardants that should be handled and managed properly. 

Many organizations accept electronics for reuse. If electronics are too damaged to be repaired, 

some of their parts might still be reusable. EPA encourages the use of electronics recyclers that 

have been certified to the Responsible Recycling Standard for Electronics Recyclers (R2) 

(https://sustainableelectronics.org/) or to the e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling 

and Reuse of Electronic Equipment (e-Stewards) (http://e-stewards.org/). Communities can 

search for electronics recyclers that have been certified to one of the electronics recycling 

programs at https://sustainableelectronics.org/recyclers and http://e-stewards.org/find-arecycler/. 

PUTRESCIBLE WASTE 

Putrescible wastes including food and animal carcasses rot quickly, depending on temperature 

and precipitation. If they are not managed quickly, they can decay to the point where they 

become difficult to handle, begin leaching into surface or floodwaters, and attract disease 

vectors. Because of the time constraints and potential risks to human health and the 

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environment, removal of putrescible waste should be prioritized by responders. Rapid 

management of these wastes is especially important in areas with large livestock ranches or 

poultry farms, which may have large amounts of animal carcasses after a disaster, and in areas 

with high temperatures, which can speed decomposition. Other major sources of putrescible 

waste include grocery stores, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and residences. 

Putrescible wastes may be able to be composted, rendered, digested, or treated through 

alkaline hydrolysis. Each of these options reduces debris volume and creates a potentially useful 

product. However, existing facilities may not be able to handle large volumes of debris, 

especially with regard to animal carcasses, and may not accept all types of putrescible wastes. 

Planners should contact facilities before a disaster to determine their capacity and capabilities. 

Food and animal carcasses should be managed separately. 

 Composting: Composting can be very cost-effective because it has low starting costs

and generates a reusable end product, such as fertilizer. Composting animal carcasses

may be more difficult than traditional food and organic waste composting and is most

effective when composting operations are overseen by a trained subject matter expert.

Carcasses may take 3-6 months to decompose completely, and some states may have

legal restrictions on composting animal carcasses. Also, composting requires a carbon

source (e.g., wood chips), which may present logistical challenges in the aftermath of a

disaster. To find a composter, visit http://www.findacomposter.com/. Animal carcasses

may be composted on-site in accordance with best management practices. For more

information on composting animal carcasses, see USDA’s disposal guidance at

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/emergencyresponse/sa_tools_and_training/ct

_aphis_role_emergency_tools_disposal_guidance. Please visit EPA’s website at

https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/reducing-impact-wasted-foodfeeding-soil-and-composting for more information on composting food.

 Rendering: Rendering is the process of separating fats and proteins through the

application of heat. Rendering yields ingredients that are used in soaps, paints, cosmetics,

explosives, leather, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and lubricants. Rendering is an effective

treatment method for animal carcasses with high fat contents, such as cattle and swine.

More information on rendering can be found on the National Renderers Association’s

website at http://www.nationalrenderers.org/. Some food, such as meat products, may

be rendered as well (https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/industrial-useswasted-food).

 Digestion: Digestion involves a process that uses bacteria to break down organic matter,

such as food and animal carcasses. Aerobic digestion is a contained system that converts

organic material to humus with oxygen. Anaerobic digestion happens in closed spaces

where there is no air (or oxygen), producing biosolids and methane gas, which are

potentially useful products. Information on anaerobic digestion can be found at

https://www.epa.gov/anaerobic-digestion. Anaerobic digestion sites can be searched on

http://www.findacomposter.com/. 

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 Alkaline hydrolysis: In this process, an alkaline solution, such as sodium hydroxide, is

applied along with pressure and heat to animal carcasses to convert them into an

aqueous solution. The remaining bone residue can be utilized as sterile bone meal. The

rest of the carcass, which is sterilized by the process of alkaline hydrolysis, can then be

composted.

For additional help on proper management of animal carcasses after a disaster, consult the 

state’s agricultural department or USDA. The USDA provides leadership, technical expertise, 

and assistance for the management of animal carcasses. For example, see the USDA’s website 

on Disaster Planning at https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/disaster-planning. 

SCRAP TIRES 

A variety of different management options besides disposal in landfills exist for scrap tires 

generated due to a natural disaster. Under RCRA, scrap tires are considered non-hazardous 

solid wastes. State solid waste agencies are primarily responsible for regulating the management 

of used tires at their end-of-life, including options for 

recycling and disposal. Therefore, communities should 

consult with their state environmental agency or local 

government officials on scrap tire legislation. The U.S. 

Tire Manufacturers Association maintains information 

on state scrap tire legislation, which is available at 

https://www.ustires.org/state-regulators. After 

applicable legislation is reviewed, decisions can be 

made on end uses of scrap tires, and action can be 

taken on a particular type of processing. 

The most common markets for scrap tires include use in new rubber products, rubbermodified asphalt, and cement kilns. See https://www.ustires.org/scrap-tire-markets for more 

information on scrap tire markets. Consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, tires 

may be retreaded, baled, shredded, and burned for energy recovery, depending on the 

anticipated or planned end-use. For example, using tires in certain civil engineering applications, 

such as road and landfill construction, may require tires to be shredded, whereas wall 

construction may use baled tires. Insufficient understanding of the actual end-use of a scrap tire 

and the processing of tires for markets that are unavailable may generate greater waste and 

lead to additional solid waste management issues. Tire-processing facilities can be found in the 

Scrap Tire & Rubber Users Directory, which is available on Scrap Tire News’s website at 

http://www.scraptirenews.com/directory.php. For suggestions on scrap tire recycling 

applications, refer to EPA’s Scrap Tires: Handbook on Recycling Applications and Management for 

the U.S. and Mexico (2010) at https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/environmentallysound-management-waste-international-initiatives#2020. 

Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection 

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While states have primary authority for implementation of solid waste programs, EPA has 

primary authority for determinations as to whether non-hazardous secondary materials 

(NHSMs) are, or are not, solid wastes when used as fuel or ingredients in a combustion unit. 

Often, scrap tires generated as a result of a natural disaster may be collected for use as a fuel in 

combustion units (e.g., boilers and cement kilns). Under 40 CFR 241.4(a)(1), scrap tires can be 

used as a non-waste fuel when 

they are not discarded and are 

managed under the oversight of 

an established tire collection 

program. Such programs are 

defined as comprehensive 

collection systems or 

contractual arrangements that 

ensure scrap tires are not 

discarded and are handled as a 

valuable commodity from 

collection through arrival at the 

combustion facility. This can 

include collection of tires that 

were not previously abandoned 

and were received from the 

general public at collection 

program events. Tires collected 

as a part of a state or local program for disaster cleanup that meets the definition of an 

“established tire collection program” (40 CFR 241.2) could be managed as a non-waste fuel 

under Clean Air Act section 112. Discarded tires are not eligible for an “established tire 

collection program.” In the event a cleanup program has knowledge that certain tires were 

discarded (e.g., tires from known scrap tire piles), such tires would not be eligible. In that case, 

the tires may still be burned as non-waste fuel if they undergo sufficient processing prior to 

combustion (i.e., chipped or shredded with the steel wire removed) (40 CFR 241.3(b)(4)). For 

more information on the regulations governing the use of NHSM like tires as non-waste fuels 

under RCRA, refer to https://www.epa.gov/rcra/identification-non-hazardous-secondarymaterials-are-solid-waste. 

NHSM: Scrap Tires 

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SOILS, SEDIMENTS, AND SANDBAGS 

Wind or water may displace large quantities of soil and sediment that may need to be removed 

as part of the cleanup. Also, communities may use sandbags 

to divert floodwaters away from structures, which would 

then need to be removed. Uncontaminated soils and 

sediments can be returned to their original location or 

used in temporary berms for future storm protection, as fill 

in reconstruction projects, or as cover material in landfills. 

Unused sandbags may be reused in future disasters. Soils, 

sediments, and sandbags that are suspected to be 

contaminated should be tested and screened to remove 

other debris. Contamination may include sewage, bacteria 

(e.g., E. coli), heavy
	

metals (e.g., arsenic,
	

lead), fuel oils,
	

industrial chemicals,
	

and agricultural
	

chemicals (e.g.,
	

fertilizers, pesticides).
	

States may have developed specific recommendations or
	

requirements for managing contaminated soils, sediments,
	

d sandbags. For example, some states may not allow
	 Source: FEMA/Crow Norlander an

sandbags that have been in contact with floodwaters to be reused. Also, check with the state 

regarding reuse of sands, sediments, and sandbags in playgrounds, beaches, sandboxes, and 

other areas where direct human contact is possible. 

TREATED WOOD 

Treated wood contains chemical preservatives 

that can contaminate recycled wood products. 

Therefore, treated wood should be managed 

separately from vegetative debris. Tools exist to 

find treated wood, such as an X-ray Fluorescence 

(XRF) Analyzer, so that treated wood can be 

segregated from other debris. Wooden utility 

poles, decks, fences, landscaping materials, wood 

bridges, and railroad ties are all likely to be made 

out of treated wood. It can be combusted in 

waste-to-energy facilities, provided the facilities 

comply with existing federal, state, and local 

requirements. Treated wood should not be 

openly burned because this treatment would 

adversely impact air quality. However, the 

availability of different management options may depend on the type of treated wood (e.g., 

Source: FEMA/David Fine 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

creosote-treated wood, Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA)-treated wood, 

pentachlorophenol-treated wood). More information about CCA-treated wood can be found at 

http://www.ccaresearch.org. 

VEGETATIVE DEBRIS 

Clean vegetative debris has many beneficial uses. Therefore, care should be taken to segregate 

chemically treated lumber and painted wood (e.g., 

lead-based paint) from clean vegetative debris 

because these wood products may not be 

accepted by recyclers of clean vegetative debris. 

Whole trees, for example, can be de-limbed and 

used as a timber resource for sawmills, veneer or 

panel makers, furniture makers, and specialty 

wood companies, among others. Vegetative 

debris can also be recycled for use in pulp and 

paper mills, wood pellet mills, and engineered 

ood companies. Trees and other vegetative 

debris can also be ground or chipped for 

residential, commercial, and agricultural purposes. Other uses include composting, animal 

bedding, landfill cover, and boiler fuel. Planners 

may be able to identify large-scale landscaping 

opportunities for mulch, such as landscaping in 

parks and recreation areas and along roadsides 

or railways. Additional information on the 

management and potential end uses of 

vegetative debris is available from the U.S. 

Composting Council 

(http://www.compostingcouncil.org). Planners 

should determine if recyclers of vegetative 

debris would also accept clean C&D wood 

(e.g., clean wood framing) or if they are able to 

segregate vegetative debris from C&D wood. 

Also, planners may want to consider whether on-site composting (e.g., at a temporary debris 

management site) of vegetative and other debris is a viable option. 

Source: FEMA/Tim Burkitt 

Source: FEMA/FEMA News Photo 

Pre-planning may be especially important for reuse of large stocks of vegetative debris (e.g., 

large wooded areas) as timing is usually key in moving these materials to appropriate markets. 

Also, pre-negotiated contracts may provide some revenue or cost-free labor for the 

community where recyclers are able to recover large amounts of clean vegetative debris. 

The Federal Woody Biomass Utilization Group (WBUG), composed of technical specialists 

representing several federal agencies, encourages the use of vegetative debris and other woody 

biomass. They define woody biomass utilization as the harvest, sale, offer, trade, and/or use of 

woody biomass, resulting in the production of a full range of wood products, including timber, 

w

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engineered lumber, paper and pulp, furniture and value-added commodities, as well as bioenergy and/or bio-based products, such as plastics, ethanol, and diesel. Using vegetative debris 

for these purposes instead of disposing of it provides numerous societal, economic, and 

environmental benefits, including improving air quality by reducing smoke from open burning, 

creating economic opportunities in the community, and providing renewable fuel for clean 

energy while saving landfill space. WBUG’s website provides tools and resources on woody 

biomass and vegetative debris utilization, including success stories, at 

https://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/Woody_Biomass/index.shtml. 

VEHICLES AND VESSELS 

Before vehicles and vessels can be recycled, all motor fuels, oils, and other fluids should be 

drained and lead acid batteries, tires, 

gas tanks, airbags, small capacitors, and 

mercury switches should be removed 

and managed appropriately. The 

battery, catalytic converter, tires, and 

plastics can all be removed for reuse 

and recycling. Vehicles and vessels 

manufactured prior to 1979 may 

contain PCBs in the plastic or rubber 

components, wire or cable insulation, 

applied paints, varnishes, or coatings, 

and small capacitors. These vehicles 

and vessels should be tested for PCBs 

prior to recycling. If PCB-containing 

components cannot be removed and 

disposed of prior to recycling, the 

entire vehicle or vessel cannot be 

recycled. Additionally, metals in the vehicle or vessel can likely be recycled as scrap metal. 

However, boats made from wood or fiberglass generally have more limited recycling 

opportunities, depending upon the location, market conditions, and access to more specialized 

recycling markets. Planning should take into consideration what local and regional recycling, 

reuse, or refurbishment facilities can and will take. Since vehicles and vessels are usually private 

property, they may have title and ownership issues that must be resolved before they can be 

scrapped. More information can be found from the Automotive Recyclers Association 

(http://www.a-r-a.org). 

50
	

Source: FEMA/Marilee Caliendo 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WHITE GOODS 

White goods can be recycled as scrap metal. Some 

appliances require special attention because they 

may contain putrescible wastes, refrigerants, and 

PCB-containing capacitors. Refrigerant-containing 

appliances, including refrigerators, freezers, and 

window air conditioning units, should be handled by 

EPA-certified technicians or recycling centers to 

prevent releases. Information about the safe disposal 

of refrigerant-containing appliances can be found at 

https://www.epa.gov/section608. 

Waste-to-Energy 

Depending on the types of debris present, natural disaster debris may be sent to a waste-toenergy facility. A waste-to-energy facility converts waste materials into usable heat, electricity, 

or fuel through combustion. Typical non-hazardous waste-to-energy facilities can handle many 

types of debris, including vegetative debris, C&D debris, furniture and other home contents, 

and putrescible wastes. Storage capacity may be necessary for this material as natural disasters 

often produce more material than a typical combustor can handle. Because emissions from 

these facilities are regulated under the Clean Air Act, contamination that could pose a problem 

to recycling and composting operations (such as some types of treated wood) might not be a 

problem for waste-to-energy facilities equipped with adequate air pollution controls. Some 

waste-to-energy facilities require that the debris be ground prior to receiving it. Planners 

should contact facilities prior to a natural disaster to determine their waste acceptance criteria. 

The RCRA NHSM regulations help identify which secondary materials (i.e., materials that are 

byproducts of a manufacturing or commercial process) are wastes that must be burned in solid 

waste incineration facilities under Clean Air Act section 129 or materials that can be 

combusted as a non-waste fuel in industrial boilers under Clean Air Act section 112. Under the 

NHSM standards, C&D wood processed from C&D debris according to specified best 

management practices would be considered as “categorical” non-waste fuels. Disaster debris 

consisting of trees and clean wood is designated as “traditional fuel” (similar to oil or natural 

gas), which can be burned in any type of combustion unit. For other debris materials, the 40 

CFR part 241 standards outline self-implementing procedures that the generator or combustor 

can apply on a site-specific basis to determine their waste/non-waste status, as well as the 

provisions governing NHSMs categorically listed as non-waste fuels. For more information on 

how the NHSM regulations may affect the management of disaster debris, please visit EPA’s 

website on the Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials That Are Solid Waste at 

https://www.epa.gov/rcra/identification-non-hazardous-secondary-materials-are-solid-waste. 

The best management practices for processed C&D wood are described in section V.A.3. of 

the preamble to the 2016 Additions to List of Categorical Non-Waste Fuels final rule (81 Fed. 

Reg. 6688, 6694; February 8, 2016) and governed by the regulations codified at 40 CFR 

241.4(a)(5). 

Source: FEMA/Adam DuBrowa 

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Identifying facilities that accept disaster debris as part of pre-incident planning can be mutually 

beneficial to all parties involved. Power plants or other types of combustors that are permitted 

to accept biomass (i.e., vegetative debris) or other disaster debris may exist near communities 

affected by disasters; in these cases, delivering the materials to power generators and 

combustors instead of landfills may require little extra effort or cost. One way to evaluate 

potential biomass markets is to involve the state forestry or natural resources agency. The 

Energy Recovery Council can also provide additional information and assistance locating wasteto-energy facilities for MSW (http://energyrecoverycouncil.org/). Another option is contacting 

the Council of Industrial Boiler Owners for information and assistance in locating an industrial 

boiler that can take biomass generated from a disaster (https://www.cibo.org/). 

Case Studies: Biomass Successes 

Florida – Approximately half of the vegetative debris, or about 800,000 cubic yards, 

generated by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne in Polk County were used to generate 

electricity by Progress Energy. County officials stated that this was both the most 

environmentally preferable and most cost-effective option. Similarly, after Hurricane Ivan, 

Escambia County exported about 60% of their vegetative debris to Italy for use as biomass 

fuel. 

Louisiana and Mississippi – Green Energy Resources, a renewable energy company, 

bought one million tons of vegetative debris from Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane 

Katrina. The debris was sent to the United Kingdom to fulfill an annual contract. The 

company purchased an additional million tons of vegetative debris for use in American power 

plants. 

Texas – American Biorefining, a local, alternative power company, salvaged millions of tons 

of trees, branches, and other vegetative debris left behind by Hurricane Rita. The vegetative 

debris was processed for use as biomass fuel and shipped to several European countries for 

use in power generation. 

Treatment and Disposal 

Once reuse, recycling, and waste-to-energy opportunities have been exhausted (or used to the 

maximum extent possible under the circumstances) for debris generated by natural disasters, 

the remaining debris should be treated and/or disposed of in a manner that protects human 

health and the environment. In general, most of the debris generated from natural disasters is 

not hazardous and can be managed, as appropriate, in a nonhazardous solid waste combustion 

unit, C&D debris landfill, or MSW landfill that is in compliance with all applicable regulations. 

Some wastes (e.g., cylinders and tanks or their contents) may have to be managed in a 

hazardous waste combustion unit and/or landfill. 

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Communities should evaluate existing treatment and disposal capacity for all debris streams and 

plan on using existing waste management facilities before considering other disposal options. 

The use of an existing, properly permitted waste management facility should always be 

considered appropriate because existing facilities have been designed with adequate controls, as 

previously determined by state permitting or other agencies. Waste management facilities 

typically have waste acceptance criteria, siting criteria, operational requirements, design 

standards, environmental monitoring, and closure/post-closure standards that help ensure 

protection of human health and the environment. State solid waste management agencies may 

require waste management facilities to, for example, minimize odors and disease vectors, have 

runoff controls, provide daily cover, limit access to the public, and provide for adequate 

setbacks. 

In the event that existing waste management facilities do not have the capacity or capability to 

manage all disaster-generated debris, including those in other communities that are accessible 

by rail, barge, or truck, planners should consider storing debris long-term, reopening a closed 

facility, or constructing a new facility. Long-term storage of debris may be necessary until other 

management options become feasible, including reopening or constructing a waste management 

facility. Storage is the holding of waste for a temporary period of time prior to its treatment or 

disposal. Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial laws and regulations, such as obtaining 

necessary permits, may apply. Reopening a closed facility may be preferable to siting a new 

facility if the closed waste management facility is capable of being re-opened and operated in a 

manner that is protective of human health and the environment. Constructing a new waste 

management facility may be necessary if reopening closed waste management facilities is not an 

option due to distance or insufficient environmental protections. However, this option may be 

extremely difficult to implement due to community concerns and legal requirements. New 

waste management facilities should be sited in areas with favorable hydrogeological conditions 

and comply with applicable operational requirements. They should not be sited in certain 

locations, such as floodplains, wetlands, and areas in close proximity to drinking water. 

Identifying appropriate areas in advance allows time for any necessary environmental 

assessments required by federal, state, local, or tribal environmental agencies. Environmental 

assessment and monitoring may be necessary after debris is placed in any of these locations. 

Open Burning 

Open burning, which includes both burning debris in an open pit and using an air curtain 

incinerator (ACI), may be another option. Open burning is regulated primarily at the state and 

local level; in some counties or cities, no outdoor burning is allowed at all. Additionally, the 

forestry department or state and local fire wardens may control and oversee burning. The air 

curtain burning method incorporates a pit constructed by digging below grade or building above 

grade (if there is a shallow groundwater table) and a blower. The blower and pit make up an 

engineered system that must be precisely configured to function properly. The blower must 

have adequate air velocity to provide a "curtain effect" to contain the smoke and to feed air to 

the fire below. The pit configuration must have a precise width, depth, and length to 

complement the blower. Some incinerators are portable and utilize a pre-manufactured pit in 

lieu of an on-site constructed earth/limestone pit. Portable ACIs are the most efficient burning 

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systems available due to the pre-manufactured pit, which is engineered to precise dimensions 

to complement the blower system. Pre-manufactured pits require little to no maintenance 

compared to earth or stone constructed pits, which are susceptible to erosion and sluffing. 

Portable ACI units are more suitable for areas with shallow groundwater tables, sandy soils, 

and where opacity (smoke) must be kept to a minimum. 

Open burning often is subject to significant public concern. State, local, and tribal officials may 

allow it if storage or staging sites are insufficient and debris amounts are large. However, open 

burning is not permissible in many places. Therefore, check with appropriate authorities to 

determine whether it is a viable option for debris. All open burning should be conducted in 

accordance with relevant regulations. Additionally, areas that would be downwind of a burn site 

should be considered to prevent public health impacts. After completion of the burn, the site 

and any downwind deposition should be appropriately cleaned up to ensure contaminants do 

not remain in the impacted area(s). Open burning shall not violate applicable requirements 

developed under a State Implementation Plan (SIP) approved or promulgated by the 

Administrator pursuant to section 110 under the Clean Air Act. Best practices should be used 

in open burning to protect human health and the environment. Typically, only vegetative debris 

is burned in an open pit, while both vegetative debris and segregated clean building material 

may be burned in an ACI. Treated and painted wood should be removed from the waste 

stream before open burning. Similarly, no materials suspected to contain asbestos (see 40 CFR 

§ 61.145(c)(10)) or lead should be burned at debris management sites. Communities can 

contact and coordinate with the appropriate tribal, local, state, and federal authorities if there is 

any question as to the applicability of the asbestos NESHAP (or the state-equivalent regulation) 

if ACM is suspected to be present. 

2.2.4 Establish Debris Management Needs and Strategies 

Debris removal should begin as soon as it is safe for trained debris management personnel to 

be out in the community. A community should be prepared with a plan for removing debris 

from land, waterways, and sensitive habitats, such as shorelines, wetlands, and marshes, before 

a disaster occurs. Due to limited resources available for debris removal activities, these 

activities should be prioritized. One initial debris removal activity will likely be clearing 

roadways to ensure that emergency vehicles can travel effectively and make vital infrastructure 

like hospitals accessible. Following the initial clearing, the debris removal strategy should discuss 

how each type of debris would be segregated, collected, and managed. Debris that may pose an 

immediate threat to human health and the environment should be a top priority. The strategy 

should specifically address the collection of materials that are priorities for reuse or recycling. 

These materials should be segregated, collected, and managed under conditions that ensure 

they are preserved for future reuse or recycling. Remaining debris would likely be disposed. 

Ensuring that all debris is removed in a timely fashion, whether by designated debris haulers or 

through self-hauling by residents, is important to protecting the safety of the community and 

returning the community to its pre-disaster state. 

Any cleanup that involves digging or removing trees from the ground requires a call to 8-1-1 at 

least two full business days before the digging begins. This requirement applies to any 

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excavation, blasting, boring, tunneling, backfilling, the removal of aboveground structures by 

either explosive or mechanical means, and other earthmoving operations. Utility companies will 

mark the area with paint and flags so that the work can be completed without further damage 

to the infrastructure and potential injuries or fatalities. (See 49 CFR part 196.) 

Debris Segregation and Collection 

To maximize reuse and recycling, 

reduce cross-contamination of 

materials, and avert future 

disposal problems, debris should 

be segregated into different 

material and waste streams as 

much as possible so that each 

debris stream may be properly 

managed. For example, one 

possible strategy for C&D debris 

is segregating this debris stream 

based on the year buildings were 

constructed (e.g., before and after 

lead was required to be removed 

from paint). Also, C&D debris that 

cannot be reused, recycled, or 

combusted for energy can be segregated for management in a C&D or MSW landfill. In many 

states, vegetative debris and building contents can also be disposed of in a C&D landfill. 

Hazardous wastes should be removed from commingled debris prior to disposal so that all the 

waste need not be managed as hazardous. Putrescible wastes should likewise be segregated and 

managed separately in accordance with all applicable regulations. 

The collection strategy should specify, at a minimum, who would collect the debris, when 

specific debris streams would be collected, where debris would be hauled, and how the 

strategy would be communicated to the public. Planners should also consider how the location 

of the debris (i.e., whether the debris is on land, in waterways, or in sensitive habitats, such as 

shorelines, wetlands, and marshes) impacts its collection and removal. All collection strategies 

should seek to minimize the number of times debris is handled in order to reduce costs and 

increase efficiency. In addition, the collection strategy should address the needs of elderly, 

disabled, and incapacitated residents who may require assistance cleaning out their homes and 

moving residential debris to the curb. 

While debris can also be sorted at a temporary storage site or disposal site, segregating debris 

is most effectively performed at the original deposit point, such as through curbside or source 

separation. Thus, residents and businesses should be educated on segregating debris into 

specified piles, as determined by the community, allowing debris haulers to collect the different 

types of debris separately. Debris haulers can be residents, contractors, city, county, or tribal 

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employees, volunteers, or a mixture of different groups. Figure 6 is an example of a curbside 

debris segregation diagram. 

Figure 6. Example of Curbside Debris Removal Guidelines 

Deconstruction techniques can be considered for standing buildings to help ensure that the 

materials will be segregated and in proper condition for reuse or recycling. More information 

about deconstruction can be found on BMRA’s website (https://bmra.org/) and the National 

Demolition Association’s website (http://www.demolitionassociation.com). Also, the C&D 

debris recycling industry has had several technological advances that make debris sorting and 

recycling more feasible. For example, portable hydraulic grinders are available that can handle 

wooden framing material and gypsum drywall at the job site. New screening systems have also 

been developed to facilitate and expedite sorting. Slow speed, high-torque shredders that 

reduce noise, dust, and vibration can shred mixed bulky materials. With prior planning and 

preparation, more efficient segregation of C&D debris is possible. More information about 

C&D debris recycling can be found on EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainablemanagement-construction-and-demolition-materials. 

Some of the material and waste streams found in disaster debris have potential health or 

environmental implications. EPA advises that these types of debris should be segregated for 

special handling. A plan for controlling and diverting hazardous materials from the debris 

stream, including handling and collection procedures, can help avoid the release of hazardous 

constituents into the environment. For example, residents should be advised not to commingle 

HHW with other debris or dispose of HHW with their normal MSW. To prevent commingling, 

residents could be directed to bring HHW to a specified location or collection event. 

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HHW Curbside Collection: Truck lined with 

bins to keep incompatible materials segregated. 

Alternatively, residents could be informed to 

set HHW at the curb for special collection. A 

sample flyer that was used to inform the 

public of HHW handling after Hurricane 

Katrina in Louisiana is included in Appendix C. 

Separating HHW and other hazardous waste 

from nonhazardous and incompatible debris 

helps to limit the spread of contamination and 

prevent incompatible materials from reacting. 

If a release of a hazardous substance should 

occur, contact the state environmental agency 

and the National Response Center (NRC) (1-

800-424-8802; https://www.epa.gov 

/emergency-response/national-response-center). This phone number may also be reached by 

individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities through the Federal Relay 

Service’s teletype service at 800-877-8339. 

Given the importance of segregating HHW and other harmful debris streams from commingled 

debris, monitoring incoming disaster debris can be important at debris management sites and 

disposal facilities. When a truck enters these areas, spotters should check the load for volume 

and debris streams not allowed at that site or facility. Spotters are also appropriate at the point 

where the truck tips its load at debris management sites or disposal facilities, as well as in the 

field where debris is being collected and sorted. Monitoring incoming debris helps prevent 

improper disposal of harmful debris streams, which minimizes the potential for current and 

future contamination. 

Temporary Debris Management Sites 

The amount of debris that one natural disaster generates may be greater than the amount of 

debris many communities handle in a year. For example, hurricanes can generate more 

vegetative debris than a municipality typically manages in a year, and blizzards may generate 

large amounts of animal carcasses that would need to be managed over and above what a 

community manages under normal conditions. Given the quantities of debris that may be 

generated, a community should not expect to be able to recycle, treat, dispose, or otherwise 

manage disaster debris immediately. Communities should also consider that local waste 

management facilities may be damaged or overwhelmed in the wake of a disaster. Therefore, 

one of the most common suggestions from communities that have experienced natural 

disasters is to pre-select multiple locations for temporary debris management sites that can be 

used to sort, store, and process debris during a disaster response. If specific sites cannot be 

identified prior to a disaster, communities should develop guidelines that can be used to 

designate sites during an incident. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Case Studies: Planning Ahead for Temporary Debris Management Sites 

Connecticut – Pre-incident planning, including creating a debris management plan and 

stand-by contracts, can be key for community resilience. Without pre-planning, the state, 

county, and local governments may experience a much greater cost and a longer time 

frame to recover. Connecticut considers its pre-identification of temporary debris 

management sites to be the most valuable pre-disaster waste management-related activity. 

Using an inventory of state-owned lands (including state parks), Connecticut evaluated 

potential temporary debris management sites to serve as staging areas and vehicular and 

equipment sites for utilities and debris management contractors during natural disasters. 

Only sites that were consistent with FEMA’s and EPA’s planning guidance were 

selected. Upon activation of a temporary debris management site, the contractor or 

municipality notifies the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental 

Protection. At that time, the site selected for use by the state or municipality is logged into 

a database, and the requestor is issued an Emergency Authorization, which includes 

operating conditions and closure requirements. This information is made available to FEMA 

to help document costs incurred by the state and/or municipality. Many of these sites 

already have been used for multiple natural disasters, and the process to verify and secure 

authorization for a site is now well understood by most municipalities in Connecticut. 

Texas – After Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Texas on August 

25, 2017, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved temporary 

debris management sites to stage, separate, and reduce the volume of debris prior to its 

final disposition. In its After Action Review Report on the Hurricane Harvey response 

(https://www.tceq.texas.gov/response/hurricanes/hurricane-harvey), the TCEQ stated that 

these sites were provided temporary authorization to “help expedite the removal of debris 

from communities affected by Harvey.” Working seven days per week, TCEQ staff were 

able to approve most of the sites within 24 hours or less. By March 2018, the TCEQ 

approved 225 temporary debris management sites. To improve responses to future natural 

disasters, TCEQ identified two improvement actions related to temporary debris 

management sites in the After Action Review Report: 1) “[d]evelop a workgroup to 

revise/update the TCEQ Debris Management Plan, including guidance for conducting 

approval reviews for [site] locations and periodic inspections” and 2) “[w]ork with local 

government officials to pre-identify [site] locations prior to actual disasters.” 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Temporary debris management sites provide a community with time and space to further 

segregate and process debris. Processing of debris may be necessary to reduce its volume or 

toxicity prior to treatment or disposal. Volume reduction can be performed by grinding, 

shredding, or 

burning. Volume 

reduction not 

only lessens the 

burden on landfill 

capacity but also 

means that fewer 

trucks will be 

needed to 

transport debris, 

reducing transportation costs and environmental impacts. These sites can also be used to 

manage debris streams that pose a potential threat to human health or the environment. For 

example, refrigerants in white goods like refrigerators, freezers, and window air conditioner 

units can be removed for proper handling. 

Sites should be located on public lands, which is preferred, because approval for this use is 

generally easier to obtain. However, private lands may be convenient and logistically necessary 

for temporary debris storage sites. Communities should consider potential agreements with 

private landowners to ensure the availability of these areas in advance. Before these sites may 

be used, communities may need to obtain permits, such as waste processing and recycling 

operations permits, temporary land-use permits, land-use variances, traffic circulation 

strategies, air quality permits, water quality permits, coastal commission land-use permits, 

HHW permits, fire department permits, and burn permits. 

Certain debris streams may pose a risk to human health and the environment when 

accumulated, staged, or stored in large quantities at temporary debris management sites. For 

example, vegetative debris piles can spontaneously combust under the right conditions. Scrap 

tire piles are also a potential fire hazard and can attract disease vectors. After being exposed to 

a hurricane or similar disaster, scrap tires may provide breeding habitat for insects like 

mosquitoes. Measures should be implemented that address these concerns (e.g., regularly 

turning and cooling piled vegetative debris). 

To protect human health and the environment, temporary debris management sites should: 

 Be of sufficient size with appropriate topography and soil type (planners can work with 

state or local environmental agencies to determine appropriate topography and soil 

type). 

 Be located an appropriate distance from potable water wells and rivers, lakes, and 

streams (planners can work with state or local environmental agencies to determine 

appropriate setback distances). 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

 Not be located in a floodplain or wetland.

 Not cause harm to environmentally sensitive areas.

 Have controls in place to mitigate storm water runoff, erosion, fires, and dust.

 Be free from obstructions, such as power lines and pipelines.

 Be accessible to heavy equipment.

 Have limited access with only certain areas open to the public, such as debris drop-off

areas, to ensure security. Additional storage controls and security measures may be

necessary for some waste streams.

 Be located close to the impacted area but far enough away from residences,

infrastructure, and businesses that could be affected by site operations. Sites can attract

vectors, such as rodents and other pests, produce noise and odors at levels deemed

unacceptable by residents, and put a large burden on normal traffic patterns.

In addition, temporary debris management sites should not be located where they can damage 

cultural resources and historic properties (e.g., by the trucking in and placement of large 

amounts of debris). The State Historic Preservation Officer or Tribal Historic Preservation 

Officer should be notified to help ensure that these irreplaceable resources are not present or, 

if they are, remain protected from possible damage. 

Consider additional safeguards for temporary hazardous waste management sites: 

 Cover area with two layers of plastic sheeting, tarps, or a concrete pad.

 Fence off area with T-posts and orange barricade fencing.

 Surround fenced-off area with absorbent booms to absorb potential leaks or sandbags

to prevent spills from seeping into the ground.

 Use wooden pallets to raise collection bins off the ground to help identify potential

leaks.

 Provide adequate space for walking and carrying items between pallets.

 Segregate containerized gases, liquids, or solids by material type (e.g., corrosive wastes,

reactive wastes), place each material type in a separate bin or barrel, and label the bin or

barrel appropriately.

 Cover collection bins or barrels with plastic liners or lids or cover the entire hazardous

waste collection site with a tent to prevent water from entering the bins.

 Drums and other containers should be kept closed at all times except when waste is

being added to the container.

 Place cylinders containing compressed gas upright and secure their caps. In addition,

cylinders should be secured to some type of railing or post to prevent them from

tipping over.

 Place sufficient fire extinguishers for the site in corners or in easily accessible locations

in case of fire (four fire extinguishers per 10,000 square feet are recommended).

Information about a hazardous waste bulking site used in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina can 

be found in Appendix C. 

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Figure 7. Example of a Debris Management Site 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Identifying ample, suitable space to stage, store, and process debris can be a challenge. Sites 

selected in the past have included disposal facilities, transfer stations, parking lots, local parks, 

and closed industrial/military facilities. Conveniently located sites reduce travel time when 

transporting debris to management facilities and result in expedited debris cleanup. 

Communities can also use these sites to distribute reusable or recycled products (such as free 

mulch or wood) to the public. According to FEMA, 100 acres of land are needed to process 

one million cubic yards of debris. Figure 7 depicts an example of a 100-acre debris management 

site that primarily manages nonhazardous debris. The site includes a location for hazardous 

waste (marked “HW”). Hazardous waste may be delivered to this location by mistake or be 

included with non-hazardous materials, if affected citizens are confused about how to 

categorize their waste or where they should take it. 

Source: FEMA, 2007 

The pre-existing condition of temporary debris management sites, such as the soil, 

groundwater, and/or surface water conditions, should be evaluated and documented prior to 

use. After these sites are no longer needed, communities should or may even be required to 

restore them to their original condition. Environmental monitoring and removing debris from 

the site in a timely manner to prevent odors, vectors, human health hazards, and environmental 

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releases can help minimize damage to the site during operation. Guidelines should be 

established for the return of property to its owners. 

If residents will be asked to bring debris to collection sites, a community should identify those 

locations in its pre-incident communication plan. This information should be immediately 

available to the public, especially since electrical outages may impede direct communication. A 

community should also plan for sufficient staffing for these sites and establish hours of 

operation that accommodate residents. Many communities have found that much residential 

debris cleanup takes place on weekends or after normal business hours. 

Equipment and Staffing Needs 

When drafting a debris management plan, planners should identify the types of equipment and 

supplies needed to implement the plan. A list of possible equipment needs is provided in Figure 

8. A community should keep in mind that a natural disaster may impact the availability of its 

existing equipment and supplies. For example, in the event of flooding or a hurricane, mud or 

standing water may make it difficult for heavy equipment to reach the debris. Also, if a large 

number of vehicles and fuel-dependent equipment is needed, consider the possible implications 

of a fuel shortage due to the disaster. Potable water supplies should be well stocked for 

hurricane and flood seasons. 

The health and safety of all response personnel, including contractors and volunteers, is very 

important. (More information on health and safety for emergency planners and responders can 

be found on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH’s) website at 

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/ and CDC’s website at https://emergency.cdc.gov/plannersresponders.asp.) Personal protective equipment (PPE) and similar considerations should be 

addressed in the debris management plan. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

(OSHA) produced a Hurricane eMatrix (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hurricane 

/index.html) to provide recommendations on how to keep workers safe during the 

management of disaster debris. The eMatrix identifies types of necessary PPE and operational 

considerations. While the Hurricane eMatrix was designed for use after a hurricane, many of 

the recommendations can apply to other natural disasters. 

In addition to equipment, communities may need more staff to carry out debris managementrelated activities. For instance, in the aftermath of a natural disaster, communities may need 

additional personnel to: 

 Handle an increased number of telephone calls and requests concerning debris removal 

and management; 

 Document the incident and waste management operations; 

 Meet recordkeeping requirements for reimbursement of disaster debris management 

activities, such as FEMA’s eligibility criteria for PA funding; 

 Train and monitor debris management contractors; 

 Oversee contracts; 

 Haul debris out of neighborhoods; 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

 Troubleshoot problems; 

 Monitor incoming debris at debris management sites; 

 Staff multiple shifts; and 

 Serve as backup to response personnel to help prevent them from becoming fatigued. 

Communities could consider cross-training their existing staff to carry out several 

responsibilities related to disaster response and identify sources of temporary labor, as well as 

identify temporary resources from outside the community (e.g., through mutual aid 

agreements). Staff can get worn out quickly during a disaster response, and debris management 

activities can extend for a long time after a disaster. Also, local staff may themselves be affected 

by the disaster and unable to respond. Every job function identified in the debris management 

plan should have multiple people trained for it to provide additional or backup assistance, as 

necessary. 

Additionally, in the aftermath of a widespread disaster, employees responsible for debris 

removal may be unable or have difficulty travelling to work sites. Roads may be blocked or 

otherwise impassable to drivers, and public transit services may be reduced or suspended. To 

help address this potential issue, a debris management plan should include coordination with 

local transportation entities. 

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Figure 8. Example Equipment Needs 

Equipment needs can be separated into three priorities: 

Primary – may be needed for initial response: 

Personal protective equipment (safety vests, work gloves, steel toe boots, hard hats, etc.) 

Safety items (first aid kits, water, sunscreen, shade canopies, etc.) 

Barrier tape or fencing 

Batteries 

Chainsaws 

Debris/earth moving equipment, such as skid-steer loaders, front loaders, and excavators 

Dump trucks and roll-off trucks 

Flares 

Flags, small and brightly colored 

Flashlights 

Fuel 

Generators 

Handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) units to record locations of debris 

Handheld radios, cell phones, satellite phones, and/or wireless handheld devices 

Notebooks and cameras 

Portable restrooms 

Road signs to direct debris hauler traffic 

Vehicle repair equipment 

Secondary – may be needed to begin debris processing: 

Air, water, and soil monitoring equipment
	

Cranes with cables and magnets
	

Crushers (e.g., jaw, impact) and/or compactors
	

Dumpsters and hoppers
	

Forklifts
	

Knuckle boom pickers (elevated work platforms)
	

Jack hammers
	

Pallets
	

Plastic sheeting
	

Sealable plastic drums
	

Wood grinders
	

Tertiary – sometimes needed to process large volumes: 

Air curtain incinerators
	

Balers
	

Conveyors
	

Vibrating screen sorters
	

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Case Study: Stand-by Contracts 

The State of Connecticut executed two contracts in 2014 

that provide the State with immediate assistance with 

debris management activities in the event that a disaster 

occurs. The contracts are for disaster debris response and 

management services and disaster debris monitoring 

services. These contracts are the result of a multi-agency 

effort, including Connecticut’s Departments of Energy and 

Environmental Protection, Emergency Services and Public 

Protection, and Transportation. Copies of these contracts 

can be found on the State of Connecticut’s Disaster Debris 

Management Preparedness website at 

http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2718&Q=410492& 

deepNav_GID=1646. 

Pre-negotiated contracts or 

agreements may be put into 

place to acquire additional 

equipment and personnel 

from private companies in 

case the community does not 

have the capacity to provide 

for itself during a disaster 

response. Solicitations could 

include services for debris 

removal, sorting, storage, 

recycling, processing, 

marketing, and disposal. Prenegotiated contracts may 

help get better prices than 

what might be offered once 

the natural disaster has 

occurred. They may also 

allow for any legal issues to be addressed in advance. Additionally, cleanup efforts can 

commence more quickly than if contract negotiations are necessary. Back-up copies of contract 

documentation should be kept in alternative locations in case one location is destroyed in the 

disaster. 

If pre-negotiated contracts are not feasible, consider including in the debris management plan a 

list of pre-qualified contractors from whom to solicit proposals directly after the disaster. 

Entities excluded from receiving federal contracts can be searched on the U.S. government’s 

System for Award Management (SAM) website (https://sam.gov/SAM/). Also, communities can 

use the SAM Disaster Response Registry to find contractors willing to provide debris removal 

and other disaster relief supplies and services during a natural disaster. To receive PA funding 

for contract costs for eligible work, applicants must comply with federal procurement and 

contracting requirements. For more information, see FEMA’s PAPPG at 

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/111781. Also, FEMA established the 

Procurement Disaster Assistance Team to help PA applicants comply with federal procurement 

standards. Visit https://www.fema.gov/procurement-disaster-assistance-team for procurementrelated resources, including required contract clauses, checklists, and key points regarding 

contracting practices. 

Plans could also be made for the quick procurement of equipment and filling of staffing needs 

through mutual aid agreements with neighboring communities. Mutual aid agreements may 

allow the equipment, services, and expense burden to be shared. As other communities may 

have resources that they are willing to share, planners should consider contacting nearby local 

governments in advance to set up mutual aid agreements and relevant state agencies to discuss 

their resources and available financial aid. 

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Community Communications/Outreach Plan 

Community outreach and communication before and after a disaster hits can be critical to the 

efficient and effective implementation of debris management activities. Therefore, a community 

communications/outreach plan is generally a key part of a debris management plan. During the 

response and recovery, the community will likely have to communicate with the debris 

management team, other governmental agencies, local commercial and industrial enterprises, 

residential waste haulers, and the general public. EPA suggests that the communications plan 

contains contact information for key stakeholder groups, pre-scripted information, such as fact 

sheets, for debris management activities involving the public, and information for a response 

website. The communications plan may also address outreach to residents and business owners 

before the disaster on ways they can protect their homes and businesses to minimize the 

generation of disaster debris (see Figure 2 above for examples). In addition, communities may 

want to include any special training, required PPE, and safety information for debris handlers 

and haulers, including volunteers and residents who are helping to clean up the debris. 

Many communities that have experienced disasters commented that residents typically want 

debris to be removed as quickly as possible. Some residents may resort to illegal burning, 

dumping, and other improper management methods. Providing public education before and in 

the wake of the disaster can curb this response. Communities should inform the public when, 

where, and how debris collection will commence and when normal collection is likely to 

resume. They may also provide special instructions for handling and segregating disaster debris 

streams, such as HHW, ACM, and vegetative debris. To be as useful as possible, all 

communication should be timely, consistent, updated, and in language that is not overly 

technical. Also, information should be communicated in all of the languages that are 

represented in the community. Alternatively, the communications plan can address the need for 

interpreters/translators. 

As part of their communications/outreach plans, some communities have prepared: 

 Radio and television announcements; 

 Messages for different social media platforms; 

 Flyers and door hangers; 

 Telephone hotlines; and 

 Response and recovery websites. 

Planners should discuss the use of free public service advertising with local media companies to 

communicate instructions in the event of a natural disaster. Other forms of communication 

may include social media and public meetings. Depending on the type and severity of the natural 

disaster, however, a community might lose electricity, telephone service, radio broadcasting 

capability, or newspaper service. Communities, therefore, are encouraged to prepare more 

than one method of communication and begin public outreach before the disaster even hits. 

Examples of flyers used following Hurricane Katrina are presented in Appendix C. 

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Waste and Material Tracking and Reporting System 

In order to inform federal, state, local, and tribal officials, as well as the public and media, that 

disaster debris is being managed appropriately, debris management activities should be made as 

transparent as possible. The debris management plan should include a waste and material 

tracking and reporting system that can be implemented during a disaster response, such as the 

example in Figure 9. This system should be used to track debris from its original deposit point 

to its final destination. Communities should plan on making the data publicly available. 

Information on the origin, date of collection, characterization, and daily and cumulative 

quantities of the debris should be reported along with the debris management site, if applicable, 

and waste management facility where the debris was sent. The data should be organized and 

reported in a consistent manner. 

Figure 9. Example of a Simple Waste and Material Tracking Template 

Tracking information can also help determine the pay for debris haulers and the amount of used 

and available capacity at debris management sites and facilities. As contract debris haulers 

generally are paid on the basis of the volume of debris hauled, provisions in the debris 

management plan could be made for measuring truck carrying capacities and assigning each 

truck a number before the truck can collect debris. The assigned truck number allows for 

tracking debris amounts by each individual truck. Each truck would be monitored at the 

receiving facility for the volume of debris carried. The hauler would receive payment based on 

the sum of these volume amounts. 

2.3 Keep the Debris Management Plan Updated 

To maximize its usefulness in a disaster response, a pre-incident debris management plan should 

be a living document. A schedule for keeping the plan up-to-date should be established. For 

example, the planning team could review and exercise the plan once a year and revise it, as 

needed. Revisions may include: 

 Updating capacity information for waste management facilities, including recycling

facilities;

 Verifying the continued viability of pre-determined temporary debris management sites;

 Adding new reuse, recycling, and composting opportunities;

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

 Updating contact information for state, local, and tribal officials and waste management 

facilities; 

 Incorporating new contracts or agreements; 

 Documenting changes in available equipment and other resources; 

 Incorporating new residential and commercial developments; and 

 Changing debris types and quantities to correspond to changes in the community’s 

character and building stock. 

Planners should meet with stakeholders to review and update the plan regularly to ensure it 

reflects current practices and policies, including FEMA’s PA requirements, changes in the 

community, lessons learned, and other information. To make sure the plan is current, accurate, 

thorough, and comprehensible, the whole community can participate in waste managementrelated exercises and similar trainings. The findings from the exercises should then be 

incorporated into the plan. Periodic exercises and trainings on the debris management plan are 

very important because they may reveal gaps or deficiencies, as well as familiarize stakeholders 

with the content. Therefore, the development of a training plan to address training needs for 

staff and equipment operation should be part of plan maintenance. 

Communities should make sure that any updates to the plan are communicated to state 

officials, health officials, neighboring communities, police and other emergency responders, and 

other stakeholders, as necessary. Sharing the plan with stakeholders will help to ensure that the 

plan is readily accessible post-disaster so that debris management activities can begin 

immediately in a manner protective of human health and the environment. 

2.4 Implement the Debris Management Plan During a Natural Disaster 

After a natural disaster occurs, debris management will be necessary. Although each disaster 

response is different, many debris management-related issues and decisions are similar across 

disasters. Pre-incident debris management planning can help facilitate the decision-making 

process during and after a disaster by providing preliminary information on how debris 

generated by the disaster may be managed. For example, pre-identified waste management 

facilities should be notified of anticipated needs, and pre-negotiated contract support should be 

exercised where necessary. In other words, the general information in the pre-incident plan 

should form the basis of the disaster-specific debris management plan. The disaster-specific plan 

should then be updated with disaster-specific information, including estimated debris quantities, 

debris locations, and locations of operational debris management sites and facilities. 

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3 Lessons Learned from Past Disasters 

3.1 Best Management Practices 

The best management practices included here are drawn from the experiences of communities 

in responding to natural disasters. Pre-incident planning, using existing resources, debris 

segregation, and clear and consistent communication have all proven to be essential practices in 

making debris management as efficient as possible during a response. 

PRE-INCIDENT PLANNING 

Having a plan for dealing with disaster debris was consistently identified as one of the most 

significant steps a community could take to facilitate disaster response. The following planning 

activities have proven particularly useful in past disasters: 

	 Forecasting debris types and volumes: Forecasting the amount of each possible 

debris stream that may be generated helps communities determine their debris 

management needs. Some areas may be more impacted than others (e.g., flood 

zones), becoming major sources of debris. 

	 Pre-identifying debris management sites and facilities: Pre-identified debris 

management sites (e.g., staging sites) and facilities (e.g., landfills) can aid response 

efforts. In addition to determining potential locations, planners should determine the 

types and amount of debris the sites and facilities can handle (e.g., HHW, vegetative 

debris, C&D debris) and obtain any necessary permits. For example, consider the 

processing capacity of nearby recycling plants or available capacity of nearby landfills. 

	 Pre-negotiating contracts: Planning for debris management should include identifying 

equipment, staffing, and other debris management needs and pre-negotiating 

contracts for obtaining those needs in the event of a disaster. Identifying prequalified contractors and contracting needs in advance can save time and money 

during disaster response efforts. Also, after a major disaster, other communities may 

be competing for the same resources, which may be limited. Having contracts in 

place before a disaster occurs may safeguard those resources for the specific 

community. 

USING EXISTING RESOURCES 

One of the best strategies for saving time and money during a response is to take advantage of 

existing resources within and outside the community, including federal, territorial, tribal, 

regional, state, local, and private resources. Utilizing available resources like supplies, 

equipment, existing infrastructure (e.g., recycling programs, waste management facilities), 

experienced debris management teams, and funding programs can facilitate the speed and ease 

of debris management efforts. Communities should determine what resources are available to 

them before a natural disaster occurs. A community’s pre-incident planning should include 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

familiarizing itself with federal, territorial, tribal, regional, state, local, and private programs and 

plans that may be relevant to response efforts. 

DEBRIS SEGREGATION 

Communities have identified debris segregation and site monitoring as important debris 

management activities during a response. Debris segregation ideally should take place at the 

original deposit point (e.g., through curbside or source separation). Past debris management 

efforts have demonstrated that debris becomes increasingly difficult to segregate after 

collection. As debris becomes more commingled, segregating the debris becomes less costeffective and more resource-intensive, making it less likely that debris will be segregated. 

However, planning and organization can facilitate debris segregation at debris management sites 

and facilities as necessary. Incoming debris at debris management sites and facilities should be 

monitored to ensure proper segregation, even when debris is segregated at the source. Debris 

segregation protocols for responders and contractors should be created to promote reuse, 

recycling, and proper disposal of debris. 

CLEAR AND CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION 

Communication with the public and between different groups of responders is a key part to the 

successful management of disaster debris. Communicating with the public before the disaster 

occurs can be highly beneficial. Easily accessible information provided through websites and 

local media can help increase resident participation and cooperation in response efforts. 

Outreach should be coordinated between federal, state, and local officials to provide consistent 

information to the public. Interagency communication also ensures consistency, improving the 

efficiency of response efforts. A community’s communications strategy should seek to improve 

information sharing by establishing a main point of contact, a specific date and time for calls and 

meetings, or alternative methods to ensure effective communication within the community on 

debris management issues. 

3.2 Case Studies 

The case studies in Appendix D were provided by various federal, state, and local sources. 

Figure 10 provides a quick summary that highlights whether pre-incident planning, working with 

community stakeholders (e.g., businesses, residents), effective communication, debris recycling, 

source-separation of debris, and the issue of insufficient landfill space are illustrated in each case 

study. Although pre-incident planning did not play a role in all of these case studies, these case 

studies nevertheless demonstrate the benefits of disaster debris planning and express some of 

the challenges that communities have faced when managing disaster debris. Communities 

should use these real-life experiences to reevaluate and revise their own disaster debris 

management policies and debris management plans. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Figure 10. Case Studies Summary 

More recommendations can be found in the Solid Waste Association of North America’s 

(SWANA’s) document on “Hurricane Katrina Disaster Debris Management: Lessons Learned 

from State and Local Governments” (2005) (http://swana.org/Portals/0/News/2005 

/HurricaneKatrinaDisasterDebrisManagementReport-12-22-05.pdf). This document discusses 

advice given to Louisiana and Mississippi from SWANA members that have experienced many 

different types of disasters. SWANA represents thousands of solid waste professionals 

(http://www.swana.org). 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

4 Examples of Debris Management Plans and Guidance 

The following documents are examples of how state and local governments have planned for 

disaster debris management. These plans and guidance documents have not been reviewed or 

endorsed by EPA and are only intended to serve as a resource for planners. Additional plans 

and guidance are available. For example, marine debris emergency response guides for many 

coastal states can be found on NOAA’s MDP’s website at https://marinedebris.noaa.gov 

/emergency-response-guides-and-regional-action-plans#pub-term-144. 

4.1 State Plans and Guidance 

California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services 

“Debris Management” Homepage 

http://www.caloes.ca.gov/cal-oes-divisions/recovery/disaster-mitigation-technicalsupport/technical-assistance/debris-management 

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 

“Disaster Debris Management Plan,” June 2013 

http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2718&Q=410492&deepNav_GID=1646#Plans 

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality 

“Comprehensive Plan for Disaster Clean-up and Debris Management,” May 2018 

http://deq.louisiana.gov/resources/category/debris-management 

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection 

“All Hazards Disaster Debris Management Plan,” June 2018 

https://www.mass.gov/lists/massdep-solid-waste-policies-guidance-fact-sheets#managingdisaster-debrisNew Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 

“Disaster Debris Management Planning Tool Kit for New Jersey Municipalities,” November 

2015 

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dshw/toolkit.pdf 

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
	

“Disaster Debris Management Planning: Tool Kit for New York State Municipalities”
	

http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/8751.html
	

Ohio Emergency Management Agency 

“Debris Management” Homepage 

http://ema.ohio.gov/Recovery_DebrisInfo.aspx 

Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality 

“Storm Debris Information” Section 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

http://www.deq.state.ok.us/lpdnew/swindex.html 

4.2 City and County Plans 

Coral Springs, Florida 

“Debris Management Plan,” July 2014 

http://www.coralsprings.org/Home/ShowDocument?id=3114 

Franklin County, Massachusetts 

“Disaster Debris Management Plan,” December 2014 

http://frcog.org/publication/view/franklin-county-disaster-debris-management-plan/ 

Grand Prairie, Texas 

“Disaster Debris Management Plan,” July 2009 

https://www.gptx.org/city-government/city-departments/solid-waste/disaster-debrismanagement-plan 

Iredell County, North Carolina 

“Debris Management: Iredell County Emergency Operations Plan,” May 2012 

https://www.co.iredell.nc.us/DocumentCenter/View/582 

Nassau County, New York 

“Disaster Debris Management Plan” 

https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6398 

Portland, Oregon 

“Disaster Debris Management Annex,” January 2014 

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/pbem/article/480555 

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2004. https://www.townofpalmbeach.com/DocumentCenter/View/65/Annual-ReportFY2004?bidId=. 

Smith, Stanley K., and Chris McCarty. "Florida’s 2004 Hurricane Season: Demographic 

Response and Recovery." Bureau of Economic and Business Research. November 2006. 

https://www.bebr.ufl.edu/sites/default/files/Research%20Reports/sda_2006_fl_hurr_0.pdf. 

"Some Observations and Recommendations for Those Planning for and Responding to 

Environmental Challenges Presented by Major Disasters." Louisiana Department of 

Environmental Quality. February 26, 2007. 

"South California - Wildfires and Debris Flows." USGS. September 2005. https://pubs.usgs.gov 

/fs/2005/3106/pdf/FS-3106.pdf. 

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"Steel Recycling Institute." SRI. 2014. http://www.recycle-steel.org/. 

"A Stronger, More Resilient New York." The City of New York. http://s-media.nyc.gov 

/agencies/sirr/SIRR_singles_Lo_res.pdf. 

"Structural Performance for Multi-hazards Program." NIST. August 31, 2016. 

https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/structural-performance-multi-hazards-program. 

Subra, Wilma. "Moving Forward After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita." Senate Committee on 

Environment and Public Works. February 26, 2007. https://www.epw.senate.gov 

/public/_cache/files/8b31a6fc-4fd0-434b-b83d-c0a7d91c5ee5/subra-testimony.pdf. 

Thomas, Jake. "Rising from the Rubble." Resource Recycling, November 2011, 34-36. 

"Three Years After Katrina: Progress Report on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal." Mississippi 

Renewal Forum. http://www.mississippirenewal.com/documents 

/GovKatrinaThreeYearReport.pdf. 

Tillotson, Steve, and Diana Trussel. "Northwood Tornado Cleanup and Other Disasters in 

North Dakota." NERC. May 1, 2014. https://nerc.org/documents/Organics 

/Natl%20Organics%20Mgmt%20PPT_ND%20Dept%20of%20Health.pdf. 

Torabzadeh, Hossein. "Mass Debris Removal Plan." LA County Department of Public Works. 

November 2008. https://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/tf/Attachments/Minutes_Attachments 

/December_18_2008_TF/MDR_Presentation.pdf. 

"Town of Palm Beach - Comprehensive Plan." Town of Palm Beach, Planning, Zoning, and 

Building Department. July 2011. http://townofpalmbeach.com/documentcenter/view/222. 

"Town of Palm Beach Annual Report Fiscal Year 2005." Town of Palm Beach. 2005. 

https://www.townofpalmbeach.com/DocumentCenter/View/66/Annual-ReportFY2005?bidId=. 

"United Nations Honors Hurricane Sandy Debris Removal Efforts." NYC Office of Emergency 

Management. 

Volpe, John A. "Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and 

Operations: Northridge Earthquake - January 17, 1994 - Transport Research 

International Documentation - TRID." US Department of Transportation. April 2002. 

https://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=755053. 

"Weather Emergency Protocols Report Overview Local Law 24/2011." NYC. November 15, 

2014. 

"Welcome to the CDRA." Construction & Demolition Recycling Association. 

http://www.cdrecycling.org/. 

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"Welcome to the National Renderers Association." National Renderers Association. 2016. 

http://www.nationalrenderers.org/. 

"Wetlands Bureau Decision Report - New Hampshire." New Hampshire Department of 

Environmental Services. January 2011. https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/divisions 

/water/wetlands/decisions/2010/documents/20101226.pdf. 

"Written Testimony of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate for a Senate Committee on 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Subcommittee on Emergency 

Management, Intergovernmental Relations, and the District of Columbia Hearing Titled 

“One Year Later: Examining the Ongoing Recovery from Hurricane Sandy”." 

Department of Homeland Security. June 21, 2016. https://www.dhs.gov/news/2013/11/06 

/written-testimony-fema-administrator-senate-homeland-security-and-governmental. 

"A Year After Hurricane Sandy: New Jersey Recovery By The ..." FEMA. October 25, 2013. 

https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2013/10/25/year-after-hurricane-sandy-new-jerseyrecovery-numbers. 

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Appendix A: Tools and Resources 

Community Resiliency and Planning: 

1.		 EPA’s All Hazards Waste Management Planning Tool – walks users through the process 

of developing a waste management plan for homeland security incidents, including 

natural disasters (https://wasteplan.epa.gov/). 

2.		 FEMA’s Best Practices and Case Studies Portfolio – shares stories on effective mitigation 

strategies and practices (https://www.fema.gov/mitigation-best-practices-portfolio). 

These mitigation best practices are part of FEMA’s Safer, Stronger, Protected Homes & 

Communities website that provides in-depth information on techniques for building 

disaster-resistant structures (https://www.fema.gov/safer-stronger-protected-homescommunities). 

3.		 USACE’s Building Resilience website – contains information on building-related
	

resources, including design criteria, new technologies, and building codes
	

(http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Sustainability/Building-Resilience/).
	

4.		 NOAA and EPA’s CAMEO Software Suite – consists of four core programsCAMEOfm, CAMEO Chemicals, ALOHA, and MARPLOT- that help officials plan for and 

respond to chemical emergencies (http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/cameosuite; 

https://www.epa.gov/cameo). 

5.		 DOE’s Climate Change and the Electricity Sector: Guide for Climate Change Resilience 

Planning (September 2016) – provides basic assistance to electric utilities and other 

stakeholders in assessing vulnerabilities to climate change and extreme weather and in 

identifying an appropriate portfolio of resilience solutions (https://energy.gov/sites/prod 

/files/2016/10/f33/Climate%20Change%20and%20the%20Electricity%20Sector%20Guide% 

20for%20Climate%20Change%20Resilience%20Planning%20September%202016_0.pdf). 

6.		 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's (FWS’s) Critical Habitat for Threatened & Endangered 

Species – maps a non-exhaustive list of designated critical habitat in the U.S. 

(https://fws.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=9d8de5e265ad4fe09893cf75b8dbfb77). 

7.		 USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Cultural Resources website – links 

to information related to the protection of historic and cultural resources 

(https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/technical/ecoscience/cultural/). 

8.		 FEMA’s Debris Management Plan Job Aid – provides instructions on creating a Debris 

Management Plan. The Job Aid can be found in Appendix D of FEMA’s “Public 

Assistance Program and Policy Guide” (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets 

/documents/111781). 

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9.		 Congressional Research Service’s Disaster Debris Management: Requirements, 

Challenges, and Federal Agency Roles (September 6, 2017) – provides information on 

the requirements applicable to disaster debris management, the challenges that 

communities face when managing disaster debris, and the types of support provided by 

FEMA, USACE, and EPA with respect to disaster debris removal 

(https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R44941.pdf). 

10. USDA’s Disaster Planning website – links to resources on disaster planning and 

preparedness for animals (https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/disaster-planning). 

11. EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website – allows about 

800,000 regulated facilities nationwide to be searched for downloadable information on 

permit data, inspection dates and findings, violations, enforcement actions, and penalties 

assessed (https://echo.epa.gov/). 

12. NOAA’s Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA) – uses an online 

mapping tool that integrates both static and real-time data, such as Environmental 

Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps, ship locations, weather, and ocean currents, to aid 

environmental responders and decision makers in spill preparedness and planning and 

coordinating emergency response efforts and situational awareness for disasters 

(https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/maps-and-spatial-data/environmental-responsemanagement-application-erma). 

13. EPA’s Harmful Materials and Residential Demolition website – lists many harmful 

materials that may be found in debris from residential property (https://www.epa.gov 

/large-scale-residential-demolition/harmful-materials-and-residential-demolition). 

14. FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Planning website – provides an overview and other 

information on hazard mitigation planning for state, local, and tribal officials and 

members of the public (https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-planning). 

15. The Transit Cooperative Research Program’s Improving the Resilience of Transit 

Systems Threatened by Natural Disasters – provides a compendium of practices used by 

transit agencies to improve the resilience of their systems to natural disasters 

(http://vtc.rutgers.edu/tcrp). 

16. EPA’s Managing Materials and Wastes for Homeland Security Incidents website – 

provides all-hazard planning information to improve community resiliency and 

considerations for waste management decisions (https://www.epa.gov/homelandsecurity-waste). 

17. NOAA’s Marine Debris Program website – contains many resources for marine debris, 

including emergency response guides for certain coastal states, state and regional action 

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plans, and reports on various marine debris topics (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov 

/reports-and-technical-memos). 

18. EPA’s Materials Management Wizard (MWiz) – provides a repository of EPA-sourced 

materials management tools and resources to support and promote sustainable 

materials management and community planning (https://www.epa.gov 

/sustainability/mwiz). 

19. FEMA’s Mitigation Ideas: A Resource for Reducing Risk to Natural Hazards – identifies 

mitigation opportunities and strategies for improving community resiliency to a variety 

of disasters (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/30627). 

20. National Climate Assessment (2014) – contains detailed information on climate change 

impacts on the U.S., as well as mitigation and adaptation strategies 

(http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/). 

21. EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator – estimates the annual amount of rainwater and 

frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States (including Puerto 

Rico). Estimates are based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall 

records (https://www.epa.gov/water-research/national-stormwater-calculator). 

22. U.S. FWS National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) – provides detailed information, including 

characteristics and locations, of U.S. wetlands (https://www.fws.gov/wetlands/). 

23. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with 

Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring and Reconstructing Historic Buildings 

– provide a framework and guidance for decision-making about work or changes to a 

historic property (https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards.htm). 

24. U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit – assists with understanding climate threats and
	

vulnerabilities, options, and planning actions (https://toolkit.climate.gov/).
	

Debris Forecasting and Estimating: 

1.		 FEMA’s Debris Estimating Field Guide (FEMA 329) – describes several debris estimating 

methods, including ground measurements, aerial and satellite photographs, and 

computer models (https://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/pa 

/fema_329_debris_estimating.pdf). 

2.		 USACE’s Disaster Impact Models – provide estimates of quantities of debris volumes, 

probable people impacted, and housing needs for hurricanes (http://www.usace.army.mil 

/Missions/Emergency-Operations/Disaster-Impact-Models/). 

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3.		 FEMA’s Hazards U.S. Multi-Hazard (Hazus-MH) – provides estimates of potential losses 

from disasters through GIS and access to databases including hazard data, boundary map 

data, and a proxy for the general building stock information, as well as data on 

important and high-risk facilities, agriculture, vehicles, and demographics 

(https://www.fema.gov/hazus). 

4.		 EPA’s Incident Waste Decision Support Tool (I-WASTE) – organizes large amounts of 

information related to managing waste resulting from incidents of national significance 

(e.g., contaminated buildings and natural disasters). The tool provides access to technical 

information, regulations, and guidance to help work through important waste 

management issues. Capabilities for I-WASTE include creating an incident plan or 

response record, estimating waste material, and accessing treatment and disposal facility 

databases and relevant documents (registration required) 

(http://www2.ergweb.com/bdrtool/login.asp). 

Debris Management Facilities: 

1.		 BMRA’s building materials website – includes a searchable business directory for
	

deconstruction services, recycling centers, and reuse stores, among others
	

(https://bmra.org/business-directory/).
	

2.		 CDRA’s C&D recycling website – includes a searchable list of recyclers for C&D 

materials, such as concrete, asphalt, asphalt shingles, gypsum wallboard, wood, and 

metals (https://cdrecycling.org/directory/). 

3.		 Whole Building Design Guide’s Construction Waste Management Database – provides 

information on companies that accept recyclable construction debris 

(http://www.wbdg.org/additional-resources/tools/construction-waste-managementdatabase). 

4.		 Council of Industrial Boiler Owners’ website – provides assistance in locating an 

industrial boiler that can take biomass generated from a disaster (https://www.cibo.org/). 

5.		 EPA’s Disaster Debris Recovery Tool – provides locations and information for 12 types 

of facilities to promote the proper and safe recovery, recycling, and disposal of debris. It 

allows users to search an interactive map by location or proximity and quickly create an 

inventory of debris management facilities (https://www.epa.gov/large-scale-residentialdemolition/disaster-debris-recovery-tool). 

6.		 Telecommunications Industry Association’s E-cycling Central – provides a list of reuse, 

recycling, and donation programs for electronics for each state (http://www.eiae.org). 

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7.		 e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment 

website – includes a searchable directory of electronics recyclers 

(http://e-stewards.org/). 

8.		 Energy Recovery Council’s website – includes a directory of waste-to-energy facilities 

(http://energyrecoverycouncil.org/). 

9.		 BioCycle’s Find a Composter.com – allows users to search for composters, anaerobic 

digesters, and organics collection services (http://www.findacomposter.com/). 

10. EPA’s Incident Waste Decision Support Tool (I-WASTE) – provides a searchable list of 

treatment and disposal facilities, a downloadable KMZ file with the same geolocated 

facilities suitable for incorporation into GIS visualization and analysis, and useful 

resources on recycling various materials (registration required) 

(http://www2.ergweb.com/bdrtool/login.asp). 

11. EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) website – contains a searchable list of 

responsible recyclers of certain white goods (i.e., refrigerated appliances, such as 

refrigerators, freezers, window air-conditioning units, and dehumidifiers) 

(https://www.epa.gov/rad). 

12. Sustainable Electronics Recycling International’s Responsible Recycling (R2) Standard for 

Electronics Recyclers website – contains a searchable database on electronics recycling 

and refurbishing facilities (https://sustainableelectronics.org/). 

13. American Wood Council (AWC), Canadian Wood Council (CWC), and BMRA’s 

ReuseWood.org – provides a searchable business directory of North American wood 

reuse and recycling organizations (http://reusewood.org/organizations). 

14. Scrap Tire News’s Scrap Tire & Rubber Users Directory – provides information on tireprocessing facilities (http://www.scraptirenews.com/directory.php). 

Disaster-specific Information: 

1.		 FLASH’s #HurricaneStrong – offers hurricane safety and mitigation information to 

prevent hurricane damage to homes (HURRICANES) (http://www.flash.org 

/hurricanestrong/). 

2.		 FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center – provides tools to understand an area’s flood risk 

(FLOODS) (https://msc.fema.gov/portal/). 

3.		 USGS’s Geospatial Multi-agency Coordination (GeoMAC) tool – provides maps of 

current fire locations and perimeters in the U.S. (WILDFIRES) (https://www.geomac.gov 

/about.shtml). 

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4.		 FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program – aims to reduce the impact of flooding on 

private and public structures by providing affordable insurance to property owners and 

by encouraging communities to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations 

(FLOODS) (https://www.fema.gov/national-flood-insurance-program). 

5.		 FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program: Flood Hazard Mapping – identifies major 

flood risks and provides data for mitigation efforts (FLOODS) (https://www.fema.gov 

/national-flood-insurance-program-flood-hazard-mapping). 

6.		 NOAA’s National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center – provide 

forecasts and warnings for tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf 

of Mexico, and Eastern and Central Pacific Ocean (HURRICANES) 

(http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/; http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/). 

7.		 NOAA's Office of Water Prediction – collaboratively researches, develops, and delivers 

state-of-the-science national hydrologic analyses, forecast information, data, decisionsupport services, and guidance to support and inform essential emergency services and 

water management decisions (FLOODS) (http://water.noaa.gov/; 

http://water.weather.gov/ahps/). 

8.		 FEMA’s Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning (Risk MAP) program – works with 

federal, state, local, and tribal partners across the U.S. to identify flood risk and help 

reduce that risk by providing high quality flood maps and information, tools to better 

assess the risk from flooding, and planning and outreach support to communities to help 

them take action to reduce (or mitigate) flood risk (FLOODS) (https://www.fema.gov 

/risk-mapping-assessment-and-planning-risk-map). 

9.		 USGS’s Seismic Hazard Maps and Site-Specific Data website – maintains seismic hazard 

maps that provide the most up-to-date information on earthquakes (EARTHQUAKES) 

(https://earthquake.usgs.gov/hazards/hazmaps/). 

10. NOAA's U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center and Pacific Tsunami Warning Center – 

provide tsunami forecasts and alerts for the U.S. and guidance for some international 

partners (TSUNAMIS) (https://www.tsunami.gov/). 

11. NOAA’s U.S. Tornado Climatology website – provides data on the average number of 

tornadoes by state over a 20-year period (TORNADOES) 

(https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornadoclimatology). 

12. NOAA's U.S. Tornado Outbreak Interface – displays meteorological and tornado track 

data for violent tornado events, including outlooks, watches, observed soundings, radar 

loops, satellite images, and surface observations, and provides annual tornado track data, 

climatology information, and an index of tornado event weblinks (TORNADOES) 

(http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/outbreaks/). 

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13. USGS’s Volcano Hazards Program – provides forecasts, warnings, and information for 

volcano hazards (VOLCANOES) (https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/index.html). 

Federal Disaster Assistance: 

1.		 NOAA’s Community-based Marine Debris Removal Grants – support locally driven, 

community-based marine debris removal projects 

(https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/funding/funding-opportunities). 

2.		 HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grants – provide 

assistance to communities to help them recover from presidentially declared disasters. 

Awards are typically made to states or local governments, as authorized by Congress 

(https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/cdbg-dr/). 

3.		 USDA’s Disaster Resource Center – provides a searchable database that contains 

disaster-related resources, as well as information on USDA disaster assistance programs 

(https://www.usda.gov/topics/disaster). 

4.		 HUD’s Disaster Recovery Tool Kit – aids homeowners and property owners in the 

disaster recovery process and includes guidance on how to rehabilitate flooded homes, 

design and construction practices that promote moisture resistance and durability, and 

preparedness for future disasters (https://www.huduser.gov/portal/disasterrecovery.html). 

5.		 BIA’s Emergency Management Division (BIA EM) – coordinates with and among tribes, 

other federal agencies, states, and other jurisdictions to enhance preparedness and 

resilience of tribal communities for disasters and to support response activities and 

recovery efforts during incidents. BIA EM also leads and manages the Tribal Assistance 

Coordination Group (TAC-G), which assists federally recognized tribes during 

emergencies and disasters, as well as providing information and technical assistance for 

tribal emergency management programs (https://www.bia.gov/bia/ojs/emd). 

6.		 USACE’s Emergency Operations website – includes information on disaster debris 

management assistance from the USACE (http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions 

/Emergency-Operations/National-Response-Framework/). 

7.		 FHWA’s Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads Program – assists federal 

agencies with the repair or reconstruction of tribal transportation facilities, federal lands 

transportation facilities, and other federally owned roads that are open to public travel 

(https://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/erfo/). 

8.		 FHWA’s Emergency Relief Program – assists in the repair of federal roads that have 

suffered serious, widespread damage because of natural disasters 

(http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/erelief.cfm). 

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9.		 FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance website – provides general information on hazard 

mitigation and the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) grant programs (the Hazard 

Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program, and 

the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program) (https://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigationassistance). 

10. EPA’s Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) – assists tribal 

governments to plan, develop, and establish the capacity to implement programs 

administered by EPA and to assist in the development and implementation of solid and 

hazardous waste programs. GAP funding may be used to support activities related to 

natural disaster debris planning and management, as appropriate 

(https://www.epa.gov/tribal/indian-environmental-general-assistance-program-gap). 

11. EPA’s Local Governments Reimbursement Program – may reimburse local and tribal 

governments for expenses related to the release or threatened release of hazardous 

substances and associated emergency response measures 

(https://www.epa.gov/emergency-response/local-governments-reimbursement-program). 

12. NOAA’s Marine Debris Prevention Grants – support activities that educate the public 

about the issue of marine debris in order to involve audiences in measurable behavior 

changing activities and limit the increase of marine debris in the world’s oceans 

(https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/funding/funding-opportunities). 

13. NOAA’s Marine Debris Research Grants – support original, hypothesis-driven research 

projects focused on the ecological risk assessment, exposure studies, and fate and 

transport of marine debris (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/about-us/funding). 

14. FEMA’s Procurement Disaster Assistance Team – helps PA recipients comply with 

federal procurement standards (https://www.fema.gov/procurement-disaster-assistanceteam). 

15. FEMA’s Public Assistance Alternative Procedures (PAAP) Pilot Program for Debris 

Removal website – provides guidance for implementing the alternative procedures for 

the debris removal pilot program (https://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/167472). 

16. FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide – provides an overview of the 

Public Assistance Program available to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments 

after a presidential disaster declaration (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets 

/documents/111781). 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

17. FTA’s Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program – reimburses states and transit 

agencies for public transportation expenses related to emergencies and disasters 

(https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grant-programs/emergency-reliefprogram/emergency-relief-program). 

18. NOAA’s Sea Grant Programs – help communities effectively plan for, respond to, and 

recover from natural disasters (http://seagrant.noaa.gov/Our-Work/RCE). 

19. EPA’s State and Tribal Response Program Grants – provide non-competitive funding 

available under CERCLA section 128(a) to states and tribes to establish or enhance 

state and tribal brownfields response programs. The development of disaster debris 

plans that address hazardous substances can be an eligible task for funding under this 

program (https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding). 

20. The System for Award Management website – provides a searchable record of entities 

able to do business with the federal government, as well as entities excluded from 

federal contracts. Also, communities can use the Disaster Response Registry to find 

contractors willing to provide debris removal and other disaster relief supplies and 

services during a natural disaster (https://sam.gov/SAM/). 

Health and Safety 

1.		 CDC’s Emergency Planners and Responders website – contains health and safety
	

information for emergency planners and responders
	

(https://emergency.cdc.gov/planners-responders.asp).
	

2.		 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH’s) Emergency 

Preparedness and Response Resources – contain guidance on worker safety and health 

during responses (https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/). 

3.		 CDC’s Health Information for Disaster Relief Volunteers website – contains health and 

safety information for natural disasters and severe weather directed toward disaster 

relief volunteers (https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/volunteers.html). 

4.		 OSHA’s Hurricane eMatrix – provides information on hazards to response and recovery 

workers after a hurricane (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hurricane/index.html). 

5.		 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS’) Public Health Emergency 

website – contains public health and healthcare preparedness, response, and recovery 

information from HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response 

(https://www.phe.gov/preparedness/pages/default.aspx). 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Homeland Security Documents: 

1. FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process website – details how to request federal assistance

under the Stafford Act (https://www.fema.gov/disaster-declaration-process).

2. National Disaster Recovery Framework – describes context for how the whole

community works together to restore, redevelop and revitalize the community

following a disaster (https://www.fema.gov/national-disaster-recovery-framework).

3. National Mitigation Framework – addresses how the whole community will develop,

employ, and coordinate mitigation capabilities to reduce loss of life and property by

lessening the impact of disasters (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets

/documents/32209).

4. National Preparedness Goal 2nd Edition (2015) – describes the vision for preparedness

nationwide and identifies the core capabilities necessary to achieve that vision across

five mission areas (i.e., Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response and Recovery)

(https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/25959).

5. National Response Framework – maps out a uniform federal response to help the

whole community prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster or other

incident (https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/32230).

Training: 

1. FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) – offers emergency management training

(e.g., debris management, incident command, recovery operations, mitigation) to

enhance the capabilities of federal, state, local, and tribal government officials and the

public and private sectors to minimize the impact of disasters and emergencies on the

American public (http://training.fema.gov).

Transportation Options: 

1. DOE’s Transportation Routing Analysis Geographic Information System (TRAGIS) –

analyzes highway, rail, or waterway transportation routes and alternatives within the

United States (https://webtragis.ornl.gov/tragis/app/login).

Waste Management Information: 

1. NOAA’s Abandoned and Derelict Vessels InfoHub – serves as a central source of

information for each coastal state's policies on abandoned and derelict vessels, including

state-specific removal and disposal requirements and guidelines

(https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/discover-issue/types-and-sources/abandoned-and-derelictvessels).

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

2.		 National Response Team’s Abandoned Vessel Authorities and Best Practices Guidance 

(2014) – includes information on options for removal and ultimate disposition of 

abandoned vessels (https://www.nrt.org/Main/Resources.aspx?ResourceType 

=Abandoned%20Vessels&ResourceSection=2). 

3.		 EPA’s Anaerobic Digestion website – provides information on anaerobic digestion, 

including its environmental benefits (https://www.epa.gov/anaerobic-digestion). 

4.		 EPA’s Asbestos website – provides general and management information on asbestos, 

including information on the federal requirements for the renovation and demolition of 

buildings that contain asbestos (https://www.epa.gov/asbestos). 

5.		 Asphalt Recycling & Reclaiming Association website – provides information on recycling 

asphalt (http://www.arra.org/). 

6.		 Automotive Recyclers Association’s website – includes information on the reuse and 

recycling of automotive parts (http://www.a-r-a.org). 

7. EPA’s Best Management Practices to Prevent and Control Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and 

Reduced Sulfur Compound Emissions at Landfills That Dispose of Gypsum Drywall 

report – provides regulatory agencies, landfill owners and operators, and other 

interested parties with information regarding the science of H2S production and 

emissions at landfill sites and information on best management practices to prevent and 

control these emissions (https://nepis.epa.gov/Adobe/PDF/P100NG53.pdf). 

8.		 CDRA’s C&D recycling website – contains information on recycling asphalt shingles, 

concrete, and gypsum drywall (http://www.cdrecycling.org/). 

9.		 EPA’s Choosing a Responsible Recycler: A Guide for Generators of Secondary 

Hazardous Materials – is a two-page guide for choosing a responsible recycler of 

hazardous waste and hazardous secondary materials, the basic principles of which may 

be applicable to other debris streams (https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/choosingresponsible-recycler-guide-generators-secondary-hazardous-materials). 

10. Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center’s website – provides compliance 

information for the construction industry (http://www.cicacenter.org). 

11. USDA’s Emergency Management Tools - Disposal Guidance website – links to guidance 

documents about disposing of animal carcasses, including information on composting 

(https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/emergencyresponse/sa_tools_and_training/c 

t_aphis_role_emergency_tools_disposal_guidance). 

12. EPA’s Guidance for Catastrophic Emergency Situations Involving Asbestos – discusses 

federal asbestos regulations, the types of asbestos issues that may arise during 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

catastrophic events, and how EPA has addressed such issues (https://www.epa.gov/largescale-residential-demolition/guidance-catastrophic-emergency-situations-involvingasbestos). 

13. EPA’s Guidelines for Enhanced Management of Asbestos in Water at Ordered 

Demolitions – contain enhanced management practices to prevent the release of 

asbestos to the environment when ACM remains inside the building during demolition 

(https://www.epa.gov/asbestos/guidelines-enhanced-management-asbestos-waterordered-demolitions). 

14. EPA’s Hazardous Waste website – provides information on the federal regulations that 

apply to hazardous waste management (https://www.epa.gov/hw). 

15. EPA’s Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials That Are Solid Waste 

website – provides information on the NHSM regulations, which may affect the 

management of disaster debris (https://www.epa.gov/rcra/identification-non-hazardoussecondary-materials-are-solid-waste). 

16. EPA’s Industrial Uses for Wasted Food website – shares information on obtaining 

biofuel and bio-products from wasted food, including fats, oil, and grease 

(https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/industrial-uses-wasted-food). 

17. Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries’ website – provides information on recycling scrap 

commodities, including ferrous and nonferrous metals, paper, electronics, rubber, 

plastics, glass, and textiles (http://www.isri.org). 

18. EPA’s Links to Hazardous Waste Programs and U.S. State Environmental Agencies 

website – lists websites for states’ solid and hazardous waste programs and 

environmental agencies (https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/links-hazardous-wasteprograms-and-us-state-environmental-agencies). 

19. EPA’s Management of Whole-Structure Demolition Debris Containing Lead-based Paint 

technical report (November 1993) – discusses the management of lead-based paint 

debris generated from the demolition of whole structures 

(https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/91021EPD.PDF?Dockey=91021EPD.PDF). 

20. EPA’s Managing Materials and Wastes for Homeland Security Incidents website – 

provides public and private emergency planners, managers and responders with waste 

management information for all hazards (https://www.epa.gov/homeland-security-waste). 

21. National Demolition Association’s website – contains demolition-related information, 

including resources on disaster response (http://www.demolitionassociation.com). 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

22. National Renderers Association’s website – contains information on rendering animal 

products (http://www.nationalrenderers.org/). 

23. EPA’s Organizations Working to Reduce the Disposal of Construction and Demolition 

(C&D) Materials website – lists trade associations, research and education organizations, 

and buyers and sellers of reusable and recyclable commodities that have available 

resources and services related to reducing and recycling C&D materials 

(https://www.epa.gov/smm/organizations-working-reduce-disposal-construction-anddemolition-cd-materials). 

24. EPA’s Planning for Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB)-containing Disaster Debris (June 

2011) guidance – contains detailed information on the management of PCB-containing 

disaster debris in emergency situations that arise from natural disasters 

(https://www.epa.gov/homeland-security-waste/guidance-about-planning-polychlorinatedbiphenyl-containing-disaster-debris). 

25. EPA’s Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) website – contains PCB management and other 

information, including a searchable list of disposal facilities and approvals that can be 

sorted by technology type and EPA Regional Office (https://www.epa.gov/pcbs). 

26. EPA’s RCRA Online tool – provides access to an extensive database of EPA 

interpretations of the RCRA regulations governing the management of solid, hazardous, 

and medical waste. (https://rcrapublic.epa.gov/rcraonline/). 

27. EPA’s Reducing the Impact of Wasted Food by Feeding the Soil and Composting website 

– includes information on composting food for organizations, businesses, and 

communities (https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/reducing-impactwasted-food-feeding-soil-and-composting). 

28. Research on the Environmental Impacts of Treated Wood – contains information about 

CCA-treated wood (http://www.ccaresearch.org). 

29. American Wood Council (AWC), Canadian Wood Council (CWC), and BMRA’s 

ReuseWood.org – provides a Sustainable Wood Guide, which contains information on 

reuse and recycling options for wood and wood products (http://reusewood.org/). 

30. EPA’s Scrap Tires: Handbook on Recycling Applications and Management for the U.S. 

and Mexico (2010) – provides information on developing markets for the valuable 

resources contained in scrap tires and addresses energy use, tire-derived aggregate, and 

ground rubber (https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/environmentally-soundmanagement-waste-international-initiatives#2020). 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

31. EPA’s State Demolition Information website – lists state-by-state contact information 

about programs that relate to large-scale residential demolition (https://www.epa.gov 

/large-scale-residential-demolition/state-demolition-information#main-content). 

32. EPA’s Stationary Refrigeration and Air Conditioning website – contains information on 

the safe disposal of refrigerant-containing appliances (https://www.epa.gov/section608). 

33. Steel Recycling Institute’s website – contains information on recycling steel 

(https://www.steelsustainability.org/). 

34. U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association’s Sustainability website – provides information on 

the life-cycle of tires, including information on scrap tire markets and state scrap tire 

legislation (https://www.ustires.org/sustainability). 

35. EPA’s Sustainable Management of Construction and Demolition Materials’ website – 

shares information about the reuse and recycling of C&D materials 

(https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-management-construction-and-demolitionmaterials). 

36. EPA’s Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) website – contains information on USTs, 

including preventing, detecting, and cleaning up releases (https://www.epa.gov/ust). 

37. U.S. Composting Council’s website – includes information on the management and 

potential end uses of vegetative debris (http://www.compostingcouncil.org). 

38. WBUG’s Woody Biomass Utilization website – provides tools and resources on woody 

biomass and vegetative debris utilization, including success stories 

(https://www.forestsandrangelands.gov/Woody_Biomass/index.shtml). 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Appendix B: Pre-incident Debris Management Plan Outline1 

This outline describes the “table of contents” of a typical pre-incident WMP. The column on the 

left specifies the information to be included in a WMP, while the column on the right describes 

various issues that should be considered when developing each section of the plan to maximize 

its benefit during an actual incident. The column on the right also provides links to tools and 

resources that may aid in the development of the pre-incident WMP, as well as tips on adapting 

the pre-incident plan to an incident-specific plan after an actual incident occurs. The plan 

contents and list of considerations are not exhaustive and are not intended to be prescriptive. 

Instead, this outline is intended to be a starting point to aid in developing a pre-incident WMP. 

Information in one section may apply to other sections. The final organization and contents of a 

pre-incident WMP are entirely up to emergency managers and planners. Keep in mind that, 

when applicable, the National Response Framework2 will guide a response to an incident and, 

thus, should be considered when developing a plan. 

This outline assumes an all-hazards pre-incident WMP. Much of the information in a WMP is 

applicable to any scenario. However, scenario- and agent-specific information should also be 

developed to the extent possible and included in an all-hazards plan. This information may be 

incorporated as additional sub-headings within each section or as a series of appendices to the 

WMP. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommended Plan Contents: Considerations: 

I. Plan Overview 

1. Scope 

Description of scenario, entity, 

and geographical area 

covered 

2. Planning assumptions 

3. List of officials who should be 

notified in the case of an 

incident and contact 

information 

4. Roles and responsibilities for 

waste management activities 

Include specialized resources 

(e.g., subject matter experts 

This section should be updated as needed during an incident 

with the situational overview. 

Scenarios may be based on site- and community-specific 

threats, hazards, and vulnerabilities.3 

Describe general terrain types, land use, and accessibility for 

the areas that would most likely be impacted by the incident 

and how these characteristics may affect waste management 

activities. Also, identify critical infrastructure and areas that 

may impact response priorities or present cleanup 

challenges. 

Include relevant federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial 

(including neighboring countries, as appropriate) 

1 This outline incorporates the Debris Management Plan Job Aid from FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy 

Guide (April 2018) at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/111781. However, refer to this 

guide and the job aid to confirm that the waste management plan meets all of FEMA’s requirements for public 

assistance funding. 

2 https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/117791. 3 See the Department of Homeland Security’s Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 201: Threat and Hazard 

Identification and Risk Assessment and Stakeholder Preparedness Review Guide at https://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/165308. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

II. Materials and Waste Streams 

1. List of anticipated waste 

streams 

2. Description of each waste 

stream 

Include regulatory status 

(federal and state), associated 

hazards, if any, agent-specific 

(e.g., chemical, biological) 

information, fact sheets, if 

any, contact information for 

waste-specific subject matter 

experts, and packaging, 

labeling, handling, and 

transportation requirements, 

as well as identify 

decontamination and reuse, 

recycling, treatment, and 

disposal options appropriate 

to that waste stream 

This section should be updated as needed during an incident 

with the actual waste streams generated by the incident. 

Consider these and other potential waste streams: 

 Ammunition and Explosives 

 Animal Carcasses 

 Aqueous Waste (e.g., water from decontamination 

activities) 

 Asbestos-containing Material 

 Ash 

 Asphalt 

 Biological-contaminated Waste 

 Building Contents 

 Chemically-contaminated Waste 

 Commingled Debris 

 Construction and Demolition Debris 

 Cylinders and Tanks 

 Electronics Waste 

 Food Waste 

 Hazardous Waste 

 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) 

 Lead-based Paint 

 Marine or Waterway Debris 

 Metals 

 Mixed Waste 

 Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) 

 Pharmaceuticals 

 Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB)-containing Waste 

 Radiological-contaminated Waste 

 Regulated Medical Waste 

 Scrap Tires 

for consultation, emergency 

response teams) 

5.		 Regulatory requirements 

List necessary permits as they 

are obtained 

6.		 Documentation of plan 

development process 

Include all internal 

departments and external 

entities 

7.		 Record of plan approvals, 

reviews, and updates to 

include any changes made 

environmental/public health regulatory and legal 

requirements that impact waste management and material 

reuse. Also, include the impact that a federal emergency or 

major disaster declaration might have on the 

implementation of applicable laws. Keep in mind that state 

requirements may be more stringent than federal 

requirements and may include additional waste streams not 

covered under federal laws. 

Establish roles and responsibilities for all waste management 

activities, including who will monitor contractors and waste 

management sites. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

IV. Waste Characterization Sampling

and Analysis

(for each waste stream)

1. Sampling

Estimate number of samples,

identify type of analysis

needed for each

waste/material type,

potential approaches to

combine/composite samples,

and address Health and Safety

Two different types of sampling may be needed to meet 

waste acceptance criteria at waste management facilities 

and to allay community concerns: 

1) sampling to classify and determine compliance with

federal, state, local, or tribal regulatory criteria, and

2) sampling to ensure that waste/materials have been

effectively decontaminated.

Environmental Justice and other community concerns may 

make it advisable to conduct testing even when it is not 

legally required or conduct additional sampling and analysis 

III. Waste Quantities

1. Forecast quantity of each type

of anticipated waste

2. Method for estimating actual

waste quantities during/after

an incident

(e.g., GIS, windshield

assessment, manned and

unmanned aerial surveillance)

 Soils, Sediments, and Sandbags

 Solid Waste from Response Activities (e.g., personal

protective equipment (PPE), waste from law

enforcement activities)

 Treated Biological-contaminated Waste

 Treated Chemically-contaminated Waste

 Treated Radiological-contaminated Waste

 Treated Wood

 Used Oil and Oil-contaminated Waste

 Vegetative Debris

 Vehicles and Vessels

 White Goods (i.e., household appliances)

Consider all potential sources of waste, such as Superfund 

sites, industrial and agricultural facilities, and petroleum 

extraction and processing sites. 

This section should be updated as needed during an incident 

with waste estimates based on the specifics of the incident. 

Recommended Tools: 

Incident Waste Decision Support Tool (I-WASTE DST) 

(registration is required to use this tool) 

http://www2.ergweb.com/bdrtool/login.asp 

FEMA’s Hazards U.S.-Multi-Hazard (Hazus-MH) 

(for estimating potential losses from earthquakes, floods, 

and hurricanes) http://www.fema.gov/hazus 

(ArcGIS software is required to use Hazus-MH) 

EPA’s Waste Estimation Support Tool (WEST) 

(for estimating the type and amount of waste generated 

from cleanup after a radiological incident) 

https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEnt 

ryId=288802 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

V. Waste Management 

Strategies/Options 

1. Procedures and approaches 

By activity 

a. Minimization 

Actions to minimize waste 

generation, toxicity, and 

physical size 

b. Collection 

Methods; health and 

safety requirements 

c. Segregation 

d. Decontamination 

(equipment, people, 

waste/materials) 

Health and safety 

requirements 

This section should be updated as needed during an incident 

(e.g., with sites that are used or may be used to manage 

waste during the incident). 

Relevant legal and regulatory requirements should be 

considered, including whether waste management activities 

may trigger compliance with environmental and historic 

preservation laws, regulations, and Executive Orders. 

Describe how compliance will be attained. 

Required permits may include waste processing and 

recycling operations permits, temporary land-use permits, 

land-use variances, traffic circulation strategies, air quality 

permits, water quality permits, coastal commission land-use 

permits, HHW permits, fire department permits, and burn 

permits. 

issues, such as appropriate 

PPE for sampling activities 

AND 

Identify any requirements for 

transporting the samples to 

laboratories for testing (e.g., 

U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT), Centers 

for Disease Control and 

Prevention, Department of 

Energy, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture) 

2.		 Analysis 

Identify data quality 

objectives, labs which can 

conduct the analyses, as well 

as methodologies for the 

analyses, what items are 

needed for sampling (e.g., 

swabs, sample bottles), 

sampling methodologies (e.g., 

composite sampling 

procedures), and the required 

techniques 

3.		 Quality assurance 

Identify methods to ensure 

the quality of the data, 

analysis, and results 

in order to ensure transparency. As this may be costprohibitive, an alternative may be managing all waste as 

hazardous waste under RCRA. The relative costs/benefits 

should be evaluated, such as available capacity at 

laboratories and waste management facilities. 

Lab selection considerations include capacity, capability, 

access, cost, time needed to produce results, and anticipated 

community concerns. 

Lab analysis is often a bottleneck in an incident response. 

Labs will be involved in sampling for characterization and 

clearance of the incident location; therefore, consider 

sampling strategies in advance to limit the number of 

samples analyzed, if possible. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

e. Accumulation/Storage 

Site location selection 

criteria; documentation; 

health and safety 

requirements 

f. Monitoring of Waste 

Management Activities 

2. Pre-selected waste 

management sites 

Site-specific information 

a. Waste staging and storage 

(short-term and longterm) locations 

b. Equipment staging and 

storage (short-term and 

long-term) locations 

c. Decontamination and 

treatment stations 

Reuse, recycling, and composting are generally preferred 

options, where appropriate. Consider adding a list of 

possible materials that can be reused, recycled, or 

composted. Having advance information on the local and 

regional markets, capacity, and local and regional recyclers 

can be important. 

Consider the impact of potential decontamination 

approaches on quantities and characteristics of waste and 

the impact of waste management constraints on potential 

decontamination approaches. 

Define the priorities during both the response and recovery 

phase operations, including for facilities that may be 

impacted. 

Describe the coordination process with other entities 

responsible for managing waste. 

Consider difficulties and issues regarding removing waste 

from waterways and sensitive habitats (e.g., shorelines, 

wetlands, marshes) and their impacts on collection and 

removal activities. 

Describe the circumstances under which waste will be 

removed from private property. Identify the laws that allow 

government to intercede in private property matters, the 

process to obtain permissions to enter onto private 

property, and the process for recouping costs (such as 

insurance proceeds). 

Account for impacts from adverse weather, such as flooding 

and wind damage. 

Identify multiple sites/locations to choose from during an 

incident, if possible. However, designating specific 

sites/locations in advance of an incident may not be 

possible. In this case, develop guidelines that could be used 

to designate sites during an incident. 

Whether specifying sites/locations or developing guidelines, 

consider: 

 Benefits of on-site vs. off-site management 

 Potential impact of having to transport the waste 

 Speed with which waste needs to be managed 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

 Facility requirements and capacity 

 Permitting and land-use variance requirements 

 Cost of various options 

 Community/Environmental Justice concerns 

 Site security 

 Resources needed, including private sources of 

equipment 

 FEMA’s eligibility requirements 

 Proximity to anticipated waste generation points 

 Ease of access 

 Ease of containment of wastes/materials 

 Ownership of sites 

 Need for buffers and setbacks 

 Proximity to environmentally sensitive/protected 

areas (e.g., wetlands, floodplains, critical habitats, 

surface water, storm drains and sanitary sewer 

drains that may lead to waterways, drinking water 

wells, septic tanks with leach fields) 

 Proximity to historically significant areas like historic 

districts and archeologically sensitive areas 

 Environmental and human health concerns of 

specific waste streams 

 Ability to sort waste streams by category to facilitate 

recycling 

 Ability to properly contain radioactive or other highly 

hazardous waste streams 

Consider the possible need for long-term groundwater, air, 

and other environmental monitoring at on-site burial sites 

and other waste management facilities or sites. 

Consider the nature of the waste or material being managed. 

In some cases, long-term storage may be required. 

Recommended Tools: 

Interim – Planning Guidance for the Handling of Solid Waste 

Contaminated with a Category A Infectious Substance 

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/transporting-infectioussubstances/interim-planning-guidance-handling-categorysolid-waste 

Carcass Disposal Decision Tree 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/emergencyresp 

onse/sa_tools_and_training/ct_aphis_disposal_tree 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

VII. Transportation 

1. Logistical options 

2. Routes (including maps) 

3. Hauler information 

Provide detailed information 

on each potential hauler to 

aid in selection at time of the 

incident, including some or all 

Consult with transportation officials on alternate routes, 

damaged infrastructure, and other matters impacting 

transport of waste. 

Prior to transportation, hazardous material must be 

classified according to the risks it presents and packaged, 

marked, labeled, and described on a shipping paper, as 

required by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 

VI. Waste Management Facilities 

1.		 Anticipated types of waste 

management facilities needed 

Identify all facility types 

needed to manage 

anticipated waste streams 

and quantities 

2. Specific facilities identified 

Provide detailed information 

on each potential site to aid in 

selection at time of the 

incident, including some or all 

of the following: facility name, 

type, contact information for 

site manager and support 

staff, location information 

(including latitude/longitude), 

permit status and compliance 

history, types of waste 

accepted, pre-negotiated 

contracts, if any, waste 

capacity, waste acceptance 

criteria, financial status, 

distance from anticipated 

waste generation points, 

costs, community concerns 

This section should be updated as needed during an incident 

with facilities that are used or may be used to manage waste 

during the incident. 

Communicating with facilities before an incident occurs can 

help to determine the facilities' waste acceptance criteria, 

which may be more stringent than what is legally required 

(e.g., in order to help determine sampling and analysis 

needs, size requirements). 

Identify multiple waste management facilities to choose 

from in case an incident occurs. Waste from wide area 

incidents may exceed the capacity of local facilities, or 

facilities may refuse to accept the waste. Out-of-state 

facilities may be necessary, in which case state permission 

may be required and different regulations and requirements 

may apply. 

In the event that existing waste management facilities do not 

have the capacity or capability to manage all generated 

wastes, including those in other communities that are 

accessible by rail, barge, or truck, planners should consider 

storing waste long-term, reopening a closed facility, or 

constructing a new facility. Consider pre-identifying sites for 

potential new facilities or developing criteria for siting new 

facilities. 

Proximity to transportation is an important consideration 

when selecting a waste management facility, as well as 

proximity to waste management sites (e.g., whether heavy 

equipment can access the site to load the large quantities of 

waste onto barges or railcars for transport to facilities). 

Recommended Tools: 

Report on the 2011 Workshop on Chemical-BiologicalRadiological Disposal in Landfills 

https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_record_report.cfm?dirEnt 

ryId=239188 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

of the following: hauler’s 

name, type, contact 

information, wastes they are 

permitted to handle, 

community concerns, security 

and legal requirements, 

decontamination needs, 

insurance requirements, PPE 

requirements, any special 

documentation requirements, 

spill response plan, and prenegotiated contracts, if 

applicable 

Administration’s (PHMSA) Hazardous Materials Regulations 

(HMR; 49 CFR parts 171-180). Guidance is available on 

PHMSA’s website (https://www.phmsa.dot.gov) and 

through its Hazardous Materials Information Center (1-800-

467-4922). This phone number may also be reached by 

individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech 

disabilities through the Federal Relay Service’s teletype 

service at 800-877-8339. 

Consider all modes of transportation, including aircraft, 

vessel and rail, as well as possible differences in restrictions 

for interstate highways and local roads. Keep in mind 

packaging, labeling, permitting, security (e.g., for certain 

waste streams, escorts and computerized, real-time tracking 

systems may be required), and other transportation 

requirements (e.g., DOT, state). 

Consider that certain federal Customs cabotage regulations 

may prohibit the use of foreign carriers to move debris and 

waste between points in the U.S. 

Consider the impact of various waste treatment 

technologies on transportation requirements. 

Zoning restrictions may be an issue, particularly for large 

vehicles. 

State permission may be required, which may include 

obtaining a permit. Expedited permit procedures may be 

appropriate. 

Highway weight restrictions may vary based on time of year. 

Consider including a pre-scripted outline or fact sheet of 

hauler responsibilities, including health and safety 

requirements. 

Drivers may be considered emergency workers and subject 

to applicable exposure limits. 

Drivers and personnel who prepare hazardous materials for 

transportation may be considered hazmat employees and 

be subject to training requirements. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

IX. Community 

Communications/Outreach Plan 

1. Strategy 

2. Contact information for key 

stakeholder groups 

(e.g., community groups, 

media, government officials) 

It is important to ensure that the community, including its 

residents, receive accurate and timely information about the 

parameters, rules, and guidelines for waste management 

activities. 

Past incidents show that communities express more concern 

with wastes from homeland security incidents than they do 

with wastes not tied to such incidents (perceived risk vs. 

Recommended Tools: 

PHMSA’s website 

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/ 

The Emergency Response Guidebook 

(intended for use by first responders during the initial stages 

of a transportation incident involving hazardous materials) 

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/outreach-training/erg 

PHMSA Hazardous Materials Information Center 

1-800-HMR-4922 (1-800-467-4922); 202-366-4488 

(These phone numbers may also be reached by individuals 

who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities 

through the Federal Relay Service’s teletype service at 800-

877-8339.) 

infocntr@dot.gov; 

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/standardsrulemaking/hmic 

Guidance on Transporting Infectious Substances 

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/transporting-infectioussubstances/transporting-infectious-substances-overview 

Guidance on Hazardous Materials Transportation 

Requirements 

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/doc 

s/training/hazmat/69186/hazmat-transportation-reqmtsweb-final.pdf 

VIII. Waste and Material Tracking 

and Reporting System 

1.		 General principles 

2.		 Databases or other tracking 

software to be used 

3.		 Waste tracking report 

templates 

Indicate information to be 

tracked 

Tracking the waste from cradle to grave helps increase 

transparency and aids in allaying community concerns. Keep 

in mind security concerns regarding sensitive information. 

Use of portable measurement and digital tracking devices 

should be considered. 

Haulers, states, and receiving facilities may use different 

surveying equipment and units of measurement, which 

should be adjusted as needed to maintain consistency. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

X. Health and Safety for Waste 

Management Activities 

(for emergency workers and the 

public) 

While a general health and safety plan for the incident will 

be developed, specific waste management activities may 

require additional guidance and should be addressed. 

Waste handling at all stages may require environmental 

monitoring and additional measures to detect and prevent 

releases to the environment, which may result in harmful 

exposures to workers or the public (e.g., exposure to fibers 

from friable asbestos, aerosolization of microbials). 

Include specific details on safety rules and procedures to 

protect workers and the public and specific measures for 

adherence to safety rules and procedures. 

Ensure that the overall incident health and safety plan 

includes information related to waste management 

activities. 

3.		 Pre-scripted information for 

waste management activities 

involving the public 

(e.g., fact sheets, public 

service announcements 

(PSAs), frequently asked 

questions (FAQs)) 

4.		 Information to aid in 

establishing a response 

website once an incident 

occurs and/or contribute to 

an incident response website 

created by the Incident 

Command or other entity 

(e.g., hosting information, 

format, potential contents) 

actual risk). Community concerns have driven waste 

management decisions in the past. 

Community outreach may include detailing special training, 

required PPE, and safety information, especially during a 

chemical, biological, or radiological incident, for facility 

personnel, people who choose not to evacuate their homes 

and, thus, are living with contamination in their homes, and 

responders, including volunteers who are helping to clean up 

the waste. 

Develop outreach and training materials for stakeholders 

and the public in multiple languages, as applicable to the 

target populations. 

During an actual incident, public outreach takes place within 

the Incident Command System. 

Also consider the use of social media and the need for 

interpreters/translators. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

XII. Oversight Activities and Exit 

Strategy 

Describe the process for 

transitioning each waste 

management activity back to its 

pre-incident state, including the 

scale-down/close-out of each 

waste management response 

activity (e.g., waste collection and 

staging, air monitoring of staging 

areas) and each waste 

management oversight activity 

performed (e.g., site 

visits/inspections of waste 

management facilities and sites, 

sampling and analysis of waste 

streams), the transition of roles 

and responsibilities, and the 

frequency of each activity 

This section should be developed and added at the time of 

an incident. 

It is important to note that there may be some waste 

management activities that extend beyond the end of the 

response that should be addressed in the exit strategy (e.g., 

long-term monitoring). 

XI.		Resource Summary 

Gathered from all previous 

sections 

1.		 Resource needs 

(e.g., equipment, staff, 

packaging materials, PPE) 

2.		 Resource sources 

a.		 Mutual Aid Agreements 

b.		 Pre-negotiated contracts 

c.		 Specialized experts 

3.		 Specialized technical
	

assistance contacts
	

4.		 Contracting 

a.		 Emergency procurement 

procedures 

b.		 Contract oversight plan 

5.		 Cost accounting/financial 

management 

6.		 FEMA eligibility guidance 

Resources may be available in-house, from contracts, or 

through agreements. 

For any contracting need, possible contractors should be 

identified and prequalified. Identify the types of work that 

will be performed with contracted resources. Describe the 

process and procedure for acquiring competitively procured 

contracted services, provide specific contract requirements, 

and explain how contractor qualifications are established. 

Consider that the availability of resources may be impacted 

by the incident itself (e.g., contamination, physical damage), 

lack of access (e.g., road damage), adverse weather 

conditions, competing needs from other jurisdictions or 

responses, etc. 

Recommended Tools: 

FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide 

https://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/111781 

Disaster Response Registry 

https://sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/searchRecords/advance 

dDRSearch.jsf 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

RECOMMENDED APPENDICES 

 Job Aids for waste management staff positions 

 List of training classes available for different waste management roles 

 Pre-written waste management emergency ordinances, orders, directives, declarations, 

designations, permits, etc. 

 Maps of waste management facilities and sites, transportation routes, critical waste management 

infrastructure, and key resources 

 Links to health and safety information 

 Protective Action Guides (https://www.epa.gov/radiation/protective-action-guides-pags) 

 Glossary and list of acronyms 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

Appendix C:
	

Hazardous Waste Bulking Center Overview
	

and
	

Public Information Flyers
	

Used for Debris Management
	

During Hurricane Katrina Cleanup in Louisiana
	

(NOTE: Information in this appendix has not been updated for this guidance.) 

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Orleans Household Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Waste Bulking Center
	

Overview
	 Updated May 13, 2006 by EPA Region 6 

Orleans Household Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Waste Bulking Center (10200 Old 

Gentilly Rd, New Orleans, LA 70127) 

The Bulking Center receives household hazardous wastes (HHW) and hazardous waste (HW) 

from EPA and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) crews. All HHW are shipped off site as 

non-hazardous after being categorized according to hazard class. The other waste streams 

handled include commercial and industrial waste streams or products. These are characterized 

and bulked if possible prior to shipment as hazardous waste. Water/fuel mixtures recovered 

from automobile gas tanks are bulked. 

Introduction to the Pad 

The Orleans HHW/HW Bulking Center (the Pad) is laid out to direct vehicles through a counter 

clockwise route. This allows EPA crews to drop off commercial/industrial waste prior to 

entering the HHW area. Also for EPA crews collecting ammunition they must drop this material 

off before moving on to other locations on the Bulking Center. Although the USACE contractors 

follow the same route, they proceed to the HHW counting station and then are off-loaded in a 

sorting area, divided according to waste classification categories. 

This summary presents a brief description of the stages of unloading and characterization and 

what to look for at each station. 

Site Safety and Evacuation 

Three short blasts on the air horn indicate the need to evacuate the area. Immediately stop what 

you are doing, observe the wind socks and proceed upwind or crosswind to either the front 

(adjacent to the office trailers) or back (open field off the southeast corner of the) muster 

location. If you are driving in the beyond the pad entry area and the evacuation alarm sounds, 

stop and put the vehicle in park, turn it off, and leave the key in the ignition – proceed on foot to 

the muster location. One long blast on the air horn means “all clear.” 

During severe weather alerts the crews will be instructed to move to the concrete building at the 

rear of the pad near the propane tank storage area. There are doors on the north and south sides 

of the building. 

Air Monitoring 

The Superfund Technical Assessment & Response Team (START) contractors maintain and 

monitor the air monitors which are generally located in the following locations: 

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1.		 Oxidizer Section 

2.		 HHW Hazcat Section 

3.		 Flammable/Bulking area 

4.		 Chemical Offloading Pad (2 monitors) 

5.		 Gas Tank Bulking Area/Haz Cat (2
	

monitors)
	

6.		 Special Refrigerator Storage Area 

7.		 HW storage Pad 

8.		 Cylinder Storage Pad 

When the Pad is operating with a limited crew, 

such as on Sunday when no bulking or Hazcat 

operations are performed, or when a location 

has no stored wastes, fewer monitors are needed. 

The air monitors measure LEL (Lower Explosive Limit), O2, CO, H2S, and VOCs. The monitor 

at the Special Refrigerator Storage Area monitors SO2 in place of CO. The monitors in the 

Oxidizer Section and the Hazcat Section also monitor for CL2 in place of H2S. The monitors in 

the Oxidizer Section, Hazcat Section, Gas Tank Bulking Area/HW Hazcat Area and Special 

Refrigerator Storage Area also have Gas Alert single gas monitors for Ammonia. 

All of these monitors are checked every hour, and the current and maximum readings for each 

parameter are recorded in a logbook. The units are also data loggers and are downloaded at the 

end of each day. 

START contractors will enter the site in the morning and set up the air monitoring stations prior 

to entry by the crews. START is responsible for completing air monitoring activities. The 

ERRS crews at a station are aware of the monitors and have been instructed to move away from 

the area if the alarm on a monitoring location continues to sound. They will notify START of 

the alarm. Once conditions have improved the crew can continue working in the area. 

1.		 Site Entry 

The administrative trailers 

are at the site entrance. 

There is a Command Post 

(EPA/START) trailer and a 

contractor (Emergency 

Rapid Responders or 

ERRS) trailer. All visitors 

are requested to sign in and 

out inside the Command 

Post. This includes the 

USACE QA staff and 

contractors working for the 

ER Group who are not 

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assigned to the Bulking Center who come on site to drop off firearms and ammunition. This 

does not include collection crews only dropping off their HHW/HW loads. 

Also in this area are “conex” shipping containers with water, Tyvek, gloves, and other supplies 

near the ERRS trailer. The break area tent for the pad workers is also located in this area. 

Portable toilets are located just south of the break tent. The large abandoned building on the site 

is not to be used by the crews. 

There is a stop sign at the truck entrance. Beyond this point hard hat, safety glasses and high 

visibility vest are required. Cell phones and radios should be turned off. Bobcats, large trucks, 

and other heavy equipment traverse the pad in various directions past this point, so caution is 

needed. 

There two USACE contractors who monitor their trucks coming and going at this point. These 

contractors are not under our control so we ask that they sign in and out every day to ensure their 

safety on the site. The USACE contractors check the HHW trucks come in, looking for hazard 

items which should not have been collected (e.g., biomedical wastes, ammunition) and for mixed 

incompatible chemicals; feedback is given to the crews to improve the process. The EPA 

representative should spot-check this QA process and assist in speeding this check during 

periodic truck backups. Field Observers might also watch here for unstable or unsafe loads 

coming in to the PAD. This includes leaking containers that are not bagged and liquids spilled 

inside the bins. 

The HHW/HW pad receives items from multiple contractors working for the USACE and EPA. 

Currently, we are receiving items from Orleans Parish on a daily basis. Items are also received 

from Jefferson Parish, although this does not appear to be a regular drop-off. EPA crews are also 

traveling to Plaquemines Parish a few days a week to pickup HHW from the USACE contractors 

in that Parish at a central location. The USACE contractors delivering items to the HHW 

collection site include: EE&G, ECC and CERIS (Jefferson Parish). ECC delivers HHW in two 

trucks; one is a large stake bed truck and the other is a pickup and trailer marked with ES&H. 

Field Observer might watch for PPE being donned prior to entry. Safety glasses, hard hats and 

highly visible vest are required. Gloves should be worn when any waste materials are being 

handled. There are hand washing/emergency eye washing stations just adjacent to the corrosives 

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station, at the Hazcat station, at the drum storage facility, at the battery pad, and within the gas 

tank bulking facility. Additional PPE is required for workers in the HHW Bulking, Fire 

Extinguisher Station and Gas Tank Bulking Area. 

The drivers of the USACE trucks are not allowed to exit their vehicles while in the pad area, 

except in an emergency. 

2. Counting station.

Only HHW loads are counted at this location. For EPA commercial/industrial waste operations, 

START contractors are responsible for counting the items, which usually involves drums, 

cylinders and automobile gas tanks. On the way, the trucks pass the following features that will 

be discussed further along: scrap metal salvage pad, conex boxes for ammunition and weapons, 

hazardous waste bulking and storage areas, non-freon refrigerant area, and the pad for standard 

propane cylinders and commercial-size gas cylinders. 

The counting station is staffed by one to 

two START contractors, according to 

the day and time. The task of the 

counters is to count and mark each item 

(HHW) in the incoming truck. Items 

are counted in three categories; propane 

tanks, cylinders, and “smalls”. The 

“smalls” are essentially anything that 

doesn’t fall into one of the other 

categories. Each item is marked with 

orange spray paint during the count. 

We do not count empty containers. Our count is for the tracking of the total quantity of material 

kept out of the municipal landfill. This allows the Pad to keep a tally of items delivered by EPA 

and USACE contractors. There are two exceptions to counting the loads: one of the larger ECC 

trucks is counted when it is unloaded due to the size of the load and the way the bins are stacked; 

and the box trucks, carrying large items, 

will be unloaded prior to counting. The 

counters should never count items inside 

of box trucks because of the potential for 

fumes to collect inside the trucks. 

The START contractors try to get a true 

item count although some items such as 

medicines and other small items that 

would normally be packaged together 

are estimated or counted as one item. In 

addition to not counting empty 

containers, the counters should not count 

non-HHW items, such as caulking tubes, hair care products, laundry detergents, incandescent 

light bulbs and numerous other items, that the crews have been clearly instructed not to collect. 

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3. Chemical Offloading Pad 

Trucks go directly from the counting station to the Chemical Offloading Pad. From this area, all 

chemicals are taken to the various stations around the pad. Typically the workers from each 

station gather the materials appropriate to their station in order to have the trucks unloaded more 

quickly. The stations are described later in this document. From the unloading station the trucks 

leave the Pad for further collections. 

Field Observers should look for items placed in the wrong area, such as waste oils placed on 

paint pallets, cylinders placed in the wrong holding area (oxygen with flammables) and 

miscellaneous leaking containers placed in with the leaking paint boxes. 

For all areas at the end of the shift the workers should cover with plastic sheeting any items that 

were not processed and close the lids on any drums or boxes. 

4. Household Hazardous Waste and Commercial/Industrial Waste Stations 

This is a summary of HHW/HW stations on the Pad, and the procedures at each station. Stations 

are discussed in counterclockwise order following the route of the truck. 

a) Shipping Pad 

Bulked waste drums, overpack drums, 

and waste in Gaylord boxes are stored 

on a center-draining concrete pad 

which has a sealed drain. These 

containers are taken to Phillips 

Services in Houston, TX. Field 

Observes should check the condition 

of the containers and verify that 

commercial/industrial waste is being handled properly. 

b) Fire Extinguisher Station 

Here fire extinguishers are emptied, 

some of them are crushed others are 

placed directly into a scrap metal roll 

off bin. 

Caution: Some halon extinguishers are 

designed for high release rates, 

presenting a high danger; crew 

members at this station should be 

reminded to never attempt to discharge 

them. These units do not have handC-6
	
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

held triggers. All halon units are now stored in a Gaylord box for delivery to a facility where 

they can be safely exhausted. 

Fire extinguishers are unloaded at the Chemical Offloading Pad and placed in pallets with 

plywood sides. They are then taken by forklift to the Fire Extinguisher Pad for processing. The 

powder is placed in a Gaylord box (cardboard 1-cubic-yard box). The powder is taken to 

Phillips Services in Houston, TX. 

c) Scrap Salvage Station 

The scrap salvage “crushing” station is located on the 

west side of the scrap metal roll-off bin. Empty metal 

containers such as gasoline tanks, fire extinguishers, 

insulation cylinders, and drums are crushed and 

placed in the scrap bin. The scrap metal is taken to 

Southern Scrap. Plastic tanks and drums are also 

crushed here before placement in the trash roll off 

bin. 

Field observers should watch that the area is roped off during the time the crew is crushing 

empty containers and that containers are empty. 

d) Ammunition and Weapons Storage 

Ammunition and weapons are stored but not 

processed here. Field Observers should make sure the 

boxes are locked and have “Flammable” placards. 

The area should be kept picked up, no open 

containers and no trash in the area. The boxes are 

moved in and out as needed for disposal. These items 

are brought in by the Emergency Response Branch 

teams. The ammunition is taken by Clean Harbors. 

e) Battery Storage Area 

Batteries are placed on pallets in the HHW 

unloading pad and full pallets are 

transferred to the storage pad which is 

located on the west edge of the site. The 

batteries are periodically picked up by 

Interstate Battery Company. 

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f) Gas Tank Bulking and Commercial/Industrial Waste Storage/Hazcat

Operations

Automotive gasoline/diesel tanks are unloaded into the building or on the concrete pad located 

on the north end of the building. Empty tanks are 

unloaded directly in the scrap salvage area. The 

fuel is bulked into drums which are transferred to 

the drum shipping pad. The empty tanks are then 

crushed and placed in the scrap metal roll-off. 

Oil can also be bulked in this area. The observer 

should make sure that tanks with fuel have all but 

one of their lines duct-taped in order to prevent 

spillage or vapor buildup. Hazardous waste (HW) 

Hazcat testing is also performed in the building. 

The HW storage area is located across the road (west) from the gasoline bulking area. Drums are 

stored here until they are categorized. After Hazcat testing, they are transferred to the drum 

storage/shipping pad for shipping. The observer should watch for leaking drums and tears in the 

liners. Drums placed here should have a tracking (“T”) number marked on them; START also 

marks these drums with a “D” number for tracking purposes. 

g) Special Refrigerator Storage Area

Special refrigerators use non-freon 

refrigerants. Two common refrigerants 

are sulfur dioxide and ammonia. Like 

ammunition and firearms, special 

refrigerators are not processed here. They 

are only stored until a full load is 

accumulated; then they will be shipped off 

site for disposal. Special units include: 

Sulfur dioxide, ammonia, methyl formate, 

R-113, and R-23. Based upon information

in the NIOSH guide, SO2 units should be segregated from the ammonia units. Units should be

stored in an orderly manner. Units are only accepted from one of our crews. Dumas (an ERRS

subcontractor) periodically picks up these

units.

h) Tank/Cylinder Pad

Pressure tanks and cylinders (e.g., propane, 

Freon, oxygen, acetylene) are accumulated 

here. 

Propane tanks are off-loaded at the Chemical 

Offloading Pad and then taken by wagon to 

the Tank/Cylinder Pad where they are 

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accumulated prior to being placed on pallets, secured with plastic wrap, and made ready for 

shipment. These cylinders pallets are stored just east of the pad and are picked up by Blue 

Rhino. 

Containers of Freon gas are handled by the same contractor, Dumas, who does the extractions at 

the White Goods area. The empty containers are then returned to the site and crushed. The 

Freon contractor cannot take cylinders without a label. These should be separated for alternative 

disposal. 

Miscellaneous small tanks (insulation, pesticides, and adhesives) are also stored at this location 

prior to disposal. 

Commercial-size cylinders are stored into segregated areas, grouped as flammables, nonflammables, oxidizers and unknowns. Commercial cylinders should have T-numbers marked on 

them by the collection crews prior to being dropped off at the pad. START will add a C-number 

at the pad. These numbers are used to track the items into and out from the Pad Site. If the 

cylinders have owner labels, owners are contacted and asked to retrieve their property. Orphan 

oxygen and carbon dioxide cylinders will be vented on site; orphan propane cylinders are burned 

off in the northwest area of the site using large gas cooking burners with pots of water. 

Field observers should observe whether the tanks/cylinders are being handled and segregated in a 

safe manner. Aisle space should be left between the propane pallets to allow access to the 

containers. 

i) Bulking Pad

Oil, antifreeze, poisons, and flammable liquids are bulked here. Most poisons to be bulked 

arrive in unmarked sprayers (the manual pump insecticide sprayers). The containers first go 

through the Hazcat station to make sure their contents are compatible. Flammable liquids to be 

bulked include various oils and gasoline that arrives in gas cans. The flammable liquid drums 

are grounded to prevent sparking. 

Potential issues for a Field Observer to 

keep in mind here is the potential for some 

incompatible material to be mixed in with 

the gasoline and other flammable 

materials. Gasoline tanks are assumed to 

contain gasoline, but other uses are 

possible. Proper grounding of bulking 

tanks is important to avoid buildup of 

static electricity. In addition to the 

protective clothing worn by all pad workers, this area requires respirators and splash aprons. In 

addition, workers should attempt to bulk and secure all material received at this pad prior to 

leaving for the night. 

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j) Hazardous Waste Categorization

(Hazcat)

This section is where unknown materials are 

separated into broad categories according to their 

hazard class (as opposed to specific chemical makeup). The Hazcat station workers may wear Level C 

PPE during some categorization. 

The purpose of the hazard categorization (Hazcat) 

and segregation is to pack and bulk items for shipping and prevent incompatible chemicals from 

being packed and shipped together. Incompatible chemicals might react with each other during 

shipment and cause fire, toxic vapors, explosions, or other dangerous reactions. 

Actual identification of each and every chemical is not required in order to pack products for 

shipping, and, given the large number of items passing through this facility, such identification is 

not practical. 

With minor modifications specific to this site, personnel at the Hazcat station at this pad follows 

procedures outlined in the Environmental Quality Management, Inc., Standard Operating 

Procedure. 

Because this analysis is conducted outdoors, fume hoods are not required. 

1. Sample Documentation: Record color, clarity, and other physical description of the sample.

2. Air Monitoring: Screen the sample with a PID (Photo Ionization Detector) or FID (Flame

Ionization Detector) to help identify volatile compounds in the sample.

3. Solubility Testing: Water will be used for solubility testing at this site.

4. Density Test: Used for insoluble compounds. Recorded as lighter or denser than water.

5. Sample Reactivity: Air reactivity is observed upon opening the sample prior to hazcat testing.

Air reactivity is normally a result of a reaction with moisture in the air.

6. Water Reactivity is noted during water solubility testing.

7. pH Test: pH is tested during water solubility testing. The pH strip is first immersed in water

to wet it. The strip is then placed in the sample. The strip color is compared against a chart.

8. Peroxide Test: Flammable solvents should be tested for the presence of peroxides. Peroxide

strips are used for this test. The strips should be quality control checked daily by immersing

them in hydrogen peroxide.

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9. Oxidizer Test: This test also uses a test strip. The strip is wetted and one drop of 5% HCl is 

added to the strip. If oxidizers are present, the strip will turn a blue-black color. These strips 

should be quality control checked daily. 

10. Cyanide Test: The cyanide test is available here, but is not normally run because cyanide is 

not a common household chemical. 

11. Sulfide Test: Add sample to the test kit tube, add a few drops of HCl. After agitation the lead 

acetate paper will turn blue-black if sulfides are present. 

12. The Bielstien Test: This test is used to determine if solvents are chlorinated solvents. The 

test will not be run at this site. 

13. Flash Point: A small portion of the sample is added to a watch glass. A lighted match is then 

held near the sample. If it lights, it is definitely flammable. If the match has to touch the sample 

to light it, flash point is approximately 140° F. If it takes longer than a second to light the sample 

the flashpoint is over 140° F. 

k) Oxidizer Area 

This area is at the south end of the bulking/sorting tables located behind the unloading area. This 

area receives oxidizers including bleach, certain pool chemicals, and peroxides. These chemicals 

give off oxygen and can cause or enhance the combustion of other materials. Chemical names 

ending in “ate” or “ite” such as chromate or nitrite, or beginning with “per” or “peroxy” indicate 

oxidizers. 

Note that older pool treatment chemicals might be 

hypochlorite, an oxidizer, while newer pool 

chemicals may be organic chlorinators such as 

isocyanurates (cyanuric acids), which are 

incompatible with hypochlorites, strong bases, and 

strong acids!! This is an example of products that 

might be purchased for the same purpose, but are 

not compatible. 

l) “Household” Section 

This is not a DOT category, but this section sorts chemicals from a wide variety of household 

products into the appropriate containers. Acids and alkalines are packed separately. Many 

products fall into a broad category called “paint-related materials” or PRM. These are boxed as 

non-hazardous (for example, latex paint or caulking) if they don’t contain hazardous chemicals, 

or drummed as flammable if oil-based or containing flammable liquids like alcohols. 

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Sometimes seemingly-related materials 

need to be put in separate categories. 

For example, automobile windshield 

fluid is a flammable PRM because it 

contains methanol, while Windex is an 

alkaline because it contains ammonia. 

Another example is toilet bowl cleaner, 

which may be either a strong acid or a 

strong base. All HHW is shipped to 

Phillips Services in Houston, TX. 

m) Poisons

The term “poison,” according to the DOT 

classification, simply means that it has been 

classified as toxic even in small doses. 

Products may contain the word “poison” in the 

warning label as a warning against ingestion, 

but not necessarily fall under the DOT 

classification. Common vaporous products 

found in this section are insecticide gasses, 

solvents, isocyanates, refrigerants, and 

chlorinated materials under pressure. These 

items should either be capped, or have their 

spray nozzle heads removed prior to packing. 

Poisons in solid form may include medicines (frequently in prescription pharmacy containers), 

pesticides & herbicides (like powders or granules in bags). Reactive chemicals such as 

corrosives and oxidizers should be kept separate from these materials. 

Various drums and lined Gaylord boxes are located behind these tables for the various categories 

of waste. 

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n) Flammable Section and Paints

This section separates flammable solids, liquids, 

and aerosol cans into appropriate containers. 

Flammable liquids should be packed in drums if 

leaking. 

Paints are palletized according to latex or oil, 

and transported to the front of double-lined rolloff containers (one for oil, one for latex). Oil 

paint cans are transported to a facility to be 

crushed, and the paint used to make a fuel. 

Latex is dried and disposed. Cans are recycled. 

o) Batteries

Automotive Batteries are palletized. They are 

wrapped in yellow chemical resistant absorbents if 

open or leaking. Full pallets are stored on the west 

edge of the facility for pickup. 

Small Batteries are separated and drummed 

depending on the type. 

p) First Aid and Emergency Showers

The first aid station is located on the left side as you enter the HHW/HW operations, just outside 

the exclusion zone. One emergency shower and eye wash station is located next to the first aid 

station. The other one is located in the drum storage building. Other emergency eye wash 

stations are located near the Corrosives (battery), Hazcat, Oxidizers, and Gas Tank Bulking 

stations. One first aid responder is on site at all times of operation. 

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St. Tammany Parish 

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DROP-OFF 

Final Dates for Drop-off at EPA Sites - Now through DECEMBER 20 

 CLEANERS (such as bleach and ammonia) 

 ROACH & OTHER PEST KILLERS 

 PAINT & WORKSHOP SUPPLIES 

 AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTS 

 FLAMMABLE PRODUCTS (such as oil, gas and propane) 

 LAWN & GARDEN PRODUCTS 

 OTHER HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS 

 FLUORESCENT LIGHTS 

 THERMOMETERS 

 BATTERIES 

 Televisions, computers and other electronics will also be collected. 

DROP-OFF LOCATIONS AND SCHEDULE: 

Western St. Tammany Parish
	

Open 8 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday (last day for drop-off December 20)
	

Mandeville High School – To access the site, take the West Causeway Approach to Mandeville High Boulevard. 

Take Mandeville High Boulevard to the circle at the end of the road – look for yellow signs. 

Northern St. Tammany Parish
	

Open 8 am to 4 pm Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday (last day for drop-off December 18)
	

Near Parish Jail in Covington – To access the site, take Columbia St. to Champagne St. and follow signage. 

Eastern St. Tammany Parish
	

Open 8 am to 4 pm seven days a week (last day for drop off December 20)
	

Near Slidell, eastern gate of Camp Villere – To access the site, take US Hwy 11 to Browns Village Road just 

north of I-12. Drive about two miles west following signs until you reach the end of paved road at the East Gate 

of Camp Villere. Drop-off site is just inside the gate on the left. 

At household hazardous waste collection centers, we CANNOT accept: commercial or industrial 

waste, medical waste, building materials, vegetation, debris, and large appliances. 

For more information on household hazardous waste disposal, call EPA at 1-800-401-1327 (prior to 

December 20) or the St. Tammany Parish Environmental Service at 985-898-5243 (after December 20). 

For questions on ammunition, guns or explosives, call 817-233-2757. 

* Large appliances (white goods) should be placed curbside. Do not take them to drop off locations. 

Flyer prepared on December 13, 2005 – F50 

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HURRICANE RESPONSE
	

St. Tammany Parish 

LARGE APPLIANCES (WHITE GOODS)
	

FREE CURBSIDE PICK-UP
	

Items Must be Curbside by JANUARY 2, 2006
	

 AIR CONDITIONERS 

 REFRIGERATORS and FREEZERS 

 STOVES AND OVENS 

 MICROWAVE OVENS 

 DISHWASHERS 

 WASHERS AND DRYERS 

 WATER HEATERS 

 Televisions, computers and other electronics will also be collected. 

 TO ENSURE A CURBSIDE PICK UP, OR FOR FURTHER 

INFORMATION ON COLLECTION, CALL THE EPA HOTLINE AT 1-

800-401-1327. 

 You MUST place all items at the side of the road (Collectors CANNOT 

pick up white goods on private property). Do not place items in a ditch or 

on the road. 

 Items must be curbside by January 2, 2006. Crews will begin to pick up 

white goods and electronics on January 3, 2006. 

 This will be the final pick up of white goods in St. Tammany Parish by 

EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers. 

Flyer prepared on December 13, 2005 – F49 

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Appendix D: Case Studies 

Case studies are included for the following disasters: 

 Los Angeles, CA: The Northridge Earthquake 1994 

 San Diego County, CA: Cedar and Pines Fires 2003 

 Florida: Hurricanes 2004 

 Louisiana: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 2005 

 Mississippi: Hurricane Katrina 2005 

 Alstead, NH: Flooding 2005 

 Joplin, MO: Tornado 2011 

 New York City, NY: Hurricane Sandy 2012 

 St. Louis Metro Area, MO: Floods 2015 

 Northern California: Wildfires 2017 

Los Angeles, CA: The Northridge Earthquake 1994 

The Northridge Earthquake struck the City of Los Angeles at 4:30 am on January 17, 1994. It 

had a magnitude of 6.8 and aftershocks with a magnitude of 5.9. In approximately one minute, 

the Northridge Earthquake spread over approximately 2,100 square miles, damaged 114,000 

structures, and caused 72 deaths. The earthquake also caused 50 structural fires, ruptured gas 

and water mains, caused power outages, and extensively damaged highway networks, costing 

the city $300 million. The City of Los Angeles did not have a debris management plan prior to 

the earthquake, and the city had to develop debris management procedures after it occurred. 

The city relied heavily on recycling to manage the debris. The day after the earthquake struck, 

Los Angeles instituted a curbside debris collection program. The city negotiated with FEMA to 

designate recycling as the preferred method of debris management and developed contracts 

with existing businesses to recycle clean, source-separated materials. Los Angeles worked with 

more than nine businesses to develop processing capacity for commingled debris. By 

midsummer, about six months later, the city was able to recycle approximately 56% of the 

earthquake debris collected, totaling over 1.5 million tons. 

After two months of negotiation, FEMA allowed the city to include recycling as a debris 

management method. This decision was based primarily on the city’s local policy supporting 

recycling and a pilot program demonstrating a potential 82% recycling rate. FEMA funded the 

debris recycling program, including paying recycling facility tipping fees and the costs associated 

with hiring data entry staff and contracting with a consultant to manage recycling efforts. 

Recycling also saved the city transportation costs because recycling facilities were closer to the 

devastated areas than disposal sites. California's Integrated Waste Management Board helped 

Los Angeles obtain this funding by writing a letter to FEMA stating that recycling was state 

policy. Los Angeles, like every community in California, submitted a plan for source reduction, 

recycling, and composting under the state’s Integrated Waste Management and Litter 

Reduction Act. Because Los Angeles had a recycling policy prior to the earthquake, FEMA 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris 

determined that the city did not need to demonstrate that recycling would save money in 

order to obtain FEMA funding. 

Communication 

Soon after the earthquake, officials announced curbside collection instructions through various 

media outlets. Initial instructions allowed residents to leave commingled debris at the curb in 

large piles. As the response progressed, however, officials requested that residents segregate 

concrete and asphalt, soil, red clay brick, wood, and other materials. Because residents had 

become accustomed to commingling their debris for pickup, City officials worked to convince 

residents to follow these more stringent guidelines. The city attempted to communicate the 

new requirements through door hangers that were distributed to residents. However, this 

strategy failed to yield changes in residents’ behaviors. Consequently, the city employed work 

crews to separate the debris on the residents’ behalf before the debris was hauled away. When 

residents placed yard trimmings or other non-earthquake-related debris on the curb, workers 

left door hangers explaining why these materials were not picked up and provided directions on 

how to reuse, recycle, and dispose of them. 

Los Angeles relied on both residents and City staff to determine which locations needed debris 

removal. A telephone hotline staffed by multilingual operators accepted residents’ requests for 

debris removal. The staff maintained a GIS database and regularly produced maps marking 

pickup locations based on callers’ addresses. At the same time, City inspectors supervising 

debris management activities reported streets that were ready for debris pickup. 

Collection and Segregation 

Prior to the earthquake, C&D debris composed approximately 10-15% of Los Angeles’ debris 

stream. After the earthquake, the amount of C&D debris increased from 150 tons per day to 

10,000 tons per day. City officials updated an existing list of licensed, insured debris removal 

contractors. They held an orientation meeting and signed contracts for debris removal. Initial 

contracts for debris removal were only two pages long and expired after one week of work. 

These early contracts allowed Los Angeles to begin removing debris quickly but did not include 

recycling, subcontracting parameters, or other requirements. Contracts eventually grew to 22 

pages in length. The city assigned each contractor a grid of streets to clear. City inspectors 

monitored contractors and tracked debris collection. When contracts expired, Los Angeles 

placed them at the end of the approved contractors list and called them again when their turns 

came. 

Contractors separated wood, metal, soil, concrete and asphalt, and red clay brick. Most of the 

debris collected was recyclable. Recyclers crushed concrete and asphalt (mixed with up to 15% 

soil) and sold it for use as sub-base in roads. They reused soil as landfill cover and soil 

amendment. They ground and screened wood, selling fine pieces by the cubic yard for 

landscaping and coarse pieces for compost or biomass fuel. Recycling facilities either ground up 

brick for use on baseball infields or chipped it for use in landscaping. Scrap metal dealers 

recycled metal waste. 

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Los Angeles required its contractors to send commingled debris to four facilities for recycling. 

Two of these facilities used an automated process that screened out fine debris and sent the 

remainder along a conveyor belt where workers removed and separated wood, brick, metal, 

and trash by hand. A vibrating screen removed any soil left in the remaining stream. At the end 

of the process, only concrete and asphalt aggregate was left. These facilities were able to 

recycle approximately 80% of the commingled debris. 

Los Angeles also worked to promote recycling by providing incentives to haulers. City officials 

required haulers to develop a recycling plan that included scouting for recyclables and 

dedicating trucks to a specific type of debris so that debris separated at the curb was not 

commingled in the truck. Los Angeles also created contract incentives that prioritized sourceseparated recycling over commingled recycling. These efforts allowed the city to expand its 

C&D recycling capacity by approximately 10,000 tons per day. 

The California Office of Emergency Services issued emergency regulations expanding permit 

hours for solid waste facilities. All debris was initially disposed of in three landfills. In about a 

year, the city added one more landfill and 18 recycling facilities. This expansion also helped 

meet the city’s long-term goal to increase the recycling of C&D debris in non-emergency 

situations. 

More information about recycling in California can be found on California's Department of 

Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) website at https://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/. 

San Diego County, CA: Cedar and Pines Fires 2003 

In October 2003, two wildfires burned more than 400,000 acres of land and destroyed nearly 

6,000 structures and 4,000 vehicles throughout San Diego County. The fire lasted for 14 days 

and, at its height, advanced at a rate of two acres per second. The San Diego County Office of 

Public Works responded immediately, focusing all available resources on the recovery effort. A 

plan was in place within a week, and the debris removal effort commenced approximately six 

weeks after the fires began. Overall, more than 128,000 tons of debris were collected in the 

wake of the fires. 

Approximately 74,000 tons of concrete, metal, and vegetative debris were recycled, resulting in 

a recycling rate of nearly 60% and preserving more than 185,000 cubic yards of landfill space. 

The county had two incentives to recycle disaster debris. At the time of the fires, California 

state law required a 50% diversion rate for waste. The county could deduct the wildfire debris 

tonnages from the annual disposal tonnages after demonstrating that a majority of the 

recyclables were diverted. Also, the county projected that their existing landfill had only four 

more years left before reaching capacity and wanted to conserve landfill space. 

While San Diego County had an emergency response plan in place before the fires, this plan did 

not address debris management. During the first few weeks after the fires, county officials 

focused on securing contractors to collect, transport, manage, and monitor debris through a 

competitive bid process and established a fire debris assistance hotline. Subsequently, the 

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county identified their lack of debris planning as a major challenge. The county believed that 

having a debris management plan in place would have saved time and eased the FEMA 

reimbursement process. 

Communication 

County officials quickly established a fully staffed, eight-hour-a-day, fire debris hotline that 

provided the public with information detailing all aspects of the county’s fire debris removal 

efforts. The hotline served as a starting point for cleanup efforts and also gave residents 

information on erosion control and volunteer coordination. Hotline activity dramatically 

increased after the county announced its free debris removal services; more than 2,500 calls 

were received related to its bin program. Additional public assistance was offered through the 

county’s website. A dedicated webpage included an ash and debris cleanup guidance document 

that was developed in collaboration with the Regional Water Quality Control Board. 

Collection and Segregation 

San Diego County provided empty roll-off bins (typically 30 or 40 cubic yards each) to be used 

by citizens to remove debris from their property. This service was provided at no cost to the 

fire victims. The bins were requested by both individual property owners and by communities 

cleaning multiple properties. These bins were intended for use by the surrounding community; 

owners of the properties on which the bins were placed were required to sign right-to-enter 

forms. Thus, anyone in the surrounding areas could use the bins, not just the property owners 

who requested them. 

Residents were given written instructions to separate metals and wood into the provided 

recycling bins. Another bin was then delivered for all remaining commingled debris materials. 

More than 1,500 bins provided the infrastructure necessary for the management of over 10,000 

tons of debris. County officials concluded that the bin program was very successful in assisting 

in the timely cleanup of fire debris from structures. 

Most HHW had been consumed in the fires due to the intensity of the heat. Remaining HHW 

was collected to ensure the health of volunteers, workers, and the general public. San Diego 

County held three HHW collection events following the wildfires. The county collected more 

than 82,000 pounds of material at the events, 13,000 pounds of which came from fire victims. 

The county also established a burned vehicle program that collected and recycled more than 

4,000 vehicles. 

San Diego County’s Department of Public Works is located at 

http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/dpw/. The “County of San Diego Debris Removal and Recycling 

Programs for the 2003 Cedar & Paradise Fires Final Report” can be found in 

https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/Docs/107747. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris 

Florida: Hurricanes 2004 

During the 2004 hurricane season, Florida was hit by four hurricanes in rapid succession – 

Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. Many of the counties in Florida were impacted 

by at least two of these hurricanes. In total, the four hurricanes caused 47 deaths, displaced 

approximately 1.7 million people, and resulted in over $45 billion in damages. The case studies 

below describe Palm Beach County’s response to Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne and Escambia 

County’s response to Hurricane Ivan. 

PALM BEACH COUNTY: HURRICANES FRANCES AND JEANNE 

On September 3, 2004, Palm Beach County, Florida was hit by Hurricane Frances. The county’s 

Solid Waste Authority (SWA) immediately established nine temporary debris management sites 

throughout the county. Three weeks later, the county was hit by Hurricane Jeanne. With winds 

exceeding 115 miles per hour, these two powerful storms caused a large amount of damage to 

the county. Palm Beach County had created a debris management plan after Hurricane Irene in 

1999. The disaster plan included information on restoring public infrastructure, locating and 

securing temporary debris storage sites, clearing roads for emergency personnel, and facilitating 

federal reimbursement. The plan also contained pre-existing contracts with trained and 

qualified debris management contractors who could provide services in the event of a disaster. 

FEMA-approved contractors, subcontractors, and vendors were employed in debris collection 

and management processes. 

Communication 

SWA conducted a public information campaign before hurricane season to educate the public 

about curbside collection and segregation of vegetative from commingled debris. The campaign 

proved to be very effective in shaping the public response during recovery efforts. In the hours 

before Hurricane Frances made landfall, SWA began communicating with the public through the 

Palm Beach County Emergency Operations Center. The initial message declared that the 

county would resume normal perishable garbage collection as quickly as possible and instructed 

residents to keep garbage separated from storm debris. SWA also opened its information 

hotline within hours immediately following the storm to answer resident questions. The 

customer service information staff received and processed more than 100,000 phone calls 

between the day that Hurricane Frances hit and the beginning of November 2004, a period of 

two months. 

Collection and Segregation 

SWA coordinated with local contractors and haulers to clear more than two million cubic yards 

of debris from roadways and neighborhoods. Temporary debris collection sites were 

established at nine locations two days after Hurricane Frances passed. Approximately four 

million cubic yards of debris were collected and processed at these sites over three months. 

The majority of the debris that Palm Beach County managed was vegetative debris. 

Approximately 80% of the debris generated was vegetative debris and 20% was commingled 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

debris. In order to conserve landfill space, more than three million cubic yards of vegetative 

debris were ground up and consolidated into chipped mulch. SWA used about 872,000 cubic 

yards of mulch for land application on agricultural land in western Palm Beach County. Overall, 

the county was able to conserve more than 25 acres of landfill space. 

Palm Beach County’s current Debris Management Plan can be found at http://www.swa.org 

/152/Plans-Documents. 

ESCAMBIA COUNTY: HURRICANE IVAN

Hurricane Ivan made landfall on the coast of Florida on September 15, 2004 with winds 

exceeding 130 mph. Escambia County, including the Pensacola metropolitan area, was impacted 

by the storm’s eastern eyewall, which produced the strongest wind gusts and heaviest rain 

bands. The storm generated more than 10 million cubic yards of debris in a 12-hour period. 

Communication 

As soon as the area was placed under a hurricane warning, Escambia County officials began 

issuing public service announcements over radio and TV networks. Residents were urged to 

segregate debris generated by the hurricane from other household or municipal solid wastes. 

These messages continued throughout the event and were the primary means of 

communication with the public until newspapers resumed operations. A debris hotline was 

established after Hurricane Ivan that remained in operation through 2005, contributing to 

cleanup efforts for Hurricanes Dennis and Katrina. Escambia County officials learned that 

communication with the public should be ongoing through a public awareness campaign. Making 

the public aware of the county’s debris management procedures and policies would help the 

public plan and react in a more efficient way. 

Collection and Segregation 

Escambia County Solid Waste Management Department officials had a hurricane debris 

management plan in place prior to Hurricane Ivan. After the hurricane, Escambia County 

personnel and Florida Department of Transportation road crews worked to clear debris from 

major roadways as soon as it was safe. Clearing the roadways by cutting and staging downed 

trees was the county’s first priority and provided time for County officials to secure 

contractors. During the development of the plan, private contractors submitted information to 

be placed on a list of potential debris management service providers. These contractors were 

not pre-qualified, which slowed the county’s initial evaluation process after the storm hit. It 

took 12 days to select three contractors and finalize rates and contracts. The county’s current 

debris management plan contains pre-qualified debris contractors, enabling the county to 

mobilize and engage them prior to the arrival of another hurricane or disaster. 

Once contracts were in place, the contractors identified the means of debris management. 

Vegetative debris held value and was marketable, so it was ground into mulch and then 

managed through incineration, land application, and as raw material in paper mills. Of the more 

than 6.5 million cubic yards of vegetative debris managed by the county, 60% was exported to 

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Italy as biomass for energy generation, 15% sold to paper mills, 15% used as landfill cover, and 

10% incinerated with on-site air curtain incinerators. The county’s debris management plan 

identified potential temporary debris storage and processing sites, including many countyowned parks that could easily be converted back to recreational facilities after debris was 

removed. However, the county would have experienced a major shortage in storage capacity 

had it also not added new sites. For example, the Blue Angel Recreation Area (formerly the 

Bronson Field Naval Air Station) was a large debris site used to process vegetative debris into 

mulch that was not included in the original plan. Approximately two million cubic yards of 

debris were processed at the Navy-owned recreation area and exported to Italy after the 

contractors brokered a deal for its use as biomass fuel in power plants. 

Another major debris stream from Hurricane Ivan was the sand displaced throughout the 

barrier islands of Escambia County. The storm eroded beaches and dune systems and deposited 

the sand onto roadways, beachfront properties, and in Escambia Bay. More than 1.35 million 

cubic yards of sand were displaced. After being filtered through a screen in order to remove 

contaminants and comply with beach sand composition restrictions, approximately 95% of the 

displaced sand was recovered and reused to establish a five-year protective berm. 

In total, the county successfully diverted more than half of the debris from disposal in landfills. 

Information on emergency management in Escambia County can be found at 

https://myescambia.com/our-services/public-safety/beready. 

Louisiana: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 2005 

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck southeastern Louisiana, causing widespread 

damage along the coastline and in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina resulted in more than 1,600 

fatalities and destroyed over a million homes. Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed the New 

Orleans levee system, breaching it and flooding approximately 80% of the city. The worst-off 

areas in the city were under nearly 20 feet of water. Some areas remained underwater for 

weeks. Katrina created 2.5 million power outages and displaced more than 770,000 people 

from their homes. The storm surge and flooding from Katrina also resulted in approximately 

7.4 million gallons of spilled oil and the contamination of nearly 500 facilities with high quantities 

of hazardous chemicals, including 31 hazardous waste sites, 16 Superfund sites, and 170 drinking 

facilities. On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita made landfall near the Louisiana/Texas 

border, impacting several parishes in southwestern Louisiana and counties in Texas. 

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) issued its first emergency 

declaration on August 30, 2005. This declaration addressed some debris management issues. 

Thereafter, LDEQ developed a debris management plan. 

The hurricanes resulted in 64.3 million cubic yards of debris in Louisiana. Overall, Louisiana 

received $19.61 billion from FEMA for recovery, rebuilding, and mitigation of future damages. 

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Communication 

LDEQ, together with EPA and the USCG, formed a unified command, which facilitated debris 

management and recycling discussions between LDEQ and EPA. Daily communication was 

established with USACE and FEMA. Outreach to citizens was facilitated through flyers, 

websites, TV and radio announcements, and news releases. 

Although Louisiana had an Emergency Alert System, Louisiana did not utilize it before 

Hurricane Katrina. Before landfall, NOAA’s National Weather Service issued warnings using 

NOAA Weather Radio All-Hazards (NWR) and the internet. After landfall, the National 

Weather Service issued live updates on hazards through both NWR and the Emergency Alert 

System and sent reports to local media outlets and emergency responders. 

Many cell towers and phone switchboard centers were disrupted. Fifty percent of radio stations 

and forty-four percent of television stations, in addition to 38,911 response centers, went out 

of commission because of the hurricane and resulting flooding. Additionally, many fire 

department facilities had to be closed due to the flooding, and the New Orleans Mayor’s Office, 

which was forced to relocate to a nearby hotel, was unreachable for two days. Because of 

damage to telephone and power lines, cell towers, and other important components of 

communication infrastructure, responders had difficulty coordinating emergency efforts. 

Collection and Segregation 

Louisiana’s emergency order lessened disposal restrictions on C&D debris in order to more 

quickly remove and dispose of massive quantities of debris. Debris, such as HHW, treated 

wood, carpeting, and ACM, were allowed to be disposed of at C&D landfills. However, several 

health and environmental concerns resulted from the lack of impermeable liners at many of 

these C&D landfills. Drywall dumped at these C&D landfills produced H2S gas. Arsenic from 

treated wood and HHW resulted in harmful leachates into the surface and groundwater. 

Determining acceptable disposal sites in advance and considering disposal capabilities, 

permitting, and the importance of liners and monitoring systems for specific debris streams can 

help reduce later health and environmental problems. 

Generally, vegetative debris was chipped or ground. Though responders recognized that 

vegetative debris could be used for energy recovery, an infestation of Formosan termites in 

southern parishes resulted in transportation restrictions. Consequently, twelve parishes 

quarantined vegetative debris and much of it was used as cover at landfills. 

Since the State of Louisiana had identified recycling as a priority, both state and federal partners 

made efforts to recycle. EPA led curbside collection of HHW in most parishes. EPA developed 

a plan for the collection and recycling of HHW and coordinated daily with USACE to ensure 

that these materials were properly segregated. USACE added incentives to contracts, ensuring 

that their contractors conducted curbside debris segregation. Additionally, the importance of 

curbside segregation and details about debris collection were communicated to the public 

through fliers (see Appendix C for an example). As many as fifteen HHW collection centers 

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were operating at one time. As a result of these combined efforts, over twenty-four million 

pounds of HHW were collected. Much of this waste was recycled, including batteries, propane 

cylinders, gasoline, and oil. 

Over 500,000 damaged homes were identified after the flooding subsided. Many of these homes 

were estimated to have at least two televisions and one personal computer. In addition, 

numerous electronic items, such as game consoles, musical equipment, and stereo equipment, 

were discarded after the hurricane. EPA and USACE worked to collect and recycle damaged 

electronic equipment in New Orleans and surrounding areas. EPA established seven e-waste 

staging sites in and around New Orleans where trucks would wait for USACE and EPA 

personnel to sort the electronics into different electronic debris areas. Over 602,711 units of 

discarded e-waste were collected and properly recycled. The federal partners were able to 

ensure that the electronics were being properly recycled in a cost-effective manner through the 

use of EPA’s Recycling Electronics and Asset Disposition (READ) Services. Private partners, 

including Dell Computer and Best Buy, expressed interest in helping with the Katrina 

electronics recycling effort. Both companies sponsored electronics collection events in the New 

Orleans area. 

LDEQ specified in its Emergency Declaration that all white goods must be recycled. EPA, 

USACE, and local contractors worked together to collect, stage, clean, and recycle nearly 

900,000 units of white goods. Refrigerant was extracted and largely recycled; steel from the 

units was reclaimed. 

Louisiana’s Governor’s Office requested that LDEQ collect damaged vehicles and vessels. As of 

July 2007, approximately 12,000 vehicles and vessels had been collected from the public rightof-ways and private property. The vessels ranged in size from small fishing boats and wave 

runners to 100-foot steel-hulled shrimp boats and barges. At the individual pickup/collection 

points on the highways, the contracts called for site remediation of leaking fuels and similar 

measures. After proper notifications to the registered owners, all lead batteries, mercury 

switches, freon, antifreeze, fuels, and oil reservoirs were drained. Contractors were also 

required to inspect for and remove any stoves, refrigerators, ammunition, or other explosives 

that were found. All collected materials were inventoried and sent for recycling. The remaining 

metals, such as aluminum masts and lead keels from sailboats, copper wiring, and steel from 

vehicles, were separated, crushed, and recycled. 

Guidance given by EPA regarding disaster debris management following Hurricane Katrina can 

be found at https://archive.epa.gov/katrina/web/html/. 

Mississippi: Hurricane Katrina 2005 

Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Mississippi on August 29, 2005 and moved up the eastern 

side of Mississippi. The slow speed of the hurricane and the shallow waters off Mississippi’s Gulf 

Coast created an abnormally large storm surge that reached up to 30 feet. In addition to 

damage from the storm surge, Mississippi experienced extensive damage from the winds. 

Hurricane Katrina resulted in about 46 million cubic yards of debris and over 230 deaths in 

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Mississippi. Over 24 million cubic yards of debris were generated in the three Gulf Coast 

counties of Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson. Approximately 70% (or over 17 million cubic 

yards) of the debris in these three coastal counties consisted of C&D debris, and the remaining 

30% (or just over seven million cubic yards) of the debris produced consisted of vegetative 

debris. Mississippi received $3.2 billion in funding from FEMA for debris removal, emergency 

response, and infrastructure repair. 

Communication 

To respond to debris management issues, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality 

(MDEQ) stationed a team of engineers, scientists, and emergency responders on the coast to 

assist local governments, industries, businesses, and other organizations with monitoring and 

decision-making related to debris management issues. The team was from MDEQ’s 

headquarters in Jackson because the South Regional Office, which is located in Biloxi, was not 

able to provide support after the storm. The regional office was significantly damaged, and 

several of the employees lost their homes and suffered other personal damage. MDEQ 

conducted daily conference calls between headquarters and the response team to address 

various debris management-related issues. 

MDEQ also established a debris response station and call center at its headquarters. MDEQ 

engineers, scientists, data management specialists, and other personnel helped with the planning 

and decision-making for the response and the handling of public complaints and inquiries, as 

well as worked with other state and federal agencies to assist citizens with debris management 

issues and other environmental and public health problems. For example, MDEQ participated in 

a Joint Debris Task Force with federal and state agencies. The Debris Task Force, led by FEMA, 

included representatives from MDEQ, the State Forestry Commission, the State Department of 

Agriculture and Commerce, the State Department of Archives and History, EPA, USACE, 

USCG, and various other agencies. The Task Force met weekly, discussed debris management 

problems, and worked together on a joint resolution of those problems. In addition, MDEQ 

worked with local emergency management personnel, local solid waste management personnel, 

volunteer groups, the State Department of Health, local landfills, and disposal contractors to 

address debris management issues. MDEQ maintained a system to track the resolution of calls. 

Collection and Segregation 

MDEQ had to address the large amount of debris from homes, commercial buildings, and other 

structures. Immediately after the storm, MDEQ conducted an evaluation of the recycling 

capabilities and existing landfill capacity on the Gulf Coast. This evaluation indicated that largescale recycling of the disaster debris would be difficult because the materials were mixed 

together, contaminated, or damaged beyond recovery. The evaluation also revealed that many 

counties suffered a significant shortfall in landfill capacity. MDEQ, working with local 

governments, had to consider new emergency landfill sites for the debris, as well as other 

debris management options. The emergency landfill sites, upon approval, operated temporarily 

until debris cleanup was completed. MDEQ determined that some landfill capacity should be 

preserved for the future needs of the counties given that large volumes of wastes would also be 

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generated during reconstruction efforts. MDEQ worked with local governments in the three 

coastal counties to approve thirteen temporary emergency landfill sites in addition to the six 

pre-existing permitted landfills. These thirteen temporary emergency landfill sites and six 

permitted landfills received the bulk of the 17 million cubic yards of C&D debris. 

Overall, some 340 temporary sites were approved for managing the debris generated by 

Hurricane Katrina. Of the 340 sites, more than 250 were chip or burn sites for vegetative 

debris. Approximately 30 new staging and 80 new burial sites were approved. The disposal sites 

were used primarily for the disposal of non-recyclable vegetative debris. In addition to the 

considerations in approving and operating emergency sites, MDEQ worked with FEMA to 

ensure proper closure of disposal, mulch, burn, and staging sites. As of August 31, 2007, most 

of the 340 emergency debris management sites had been closed. 

MDEQ prioritized the protection of groundwater and surface water resources in developing 

the temporary emergency landfill sites. Existing landfills had already gone through an extensive 

environmental review during the permitting process to ensure that their locations were 

geologically suitable to protect groundwater resources. MDEQ evaluated each of the thirteen 

temporary emergency landfill sites to determine if the underlying geology and groundwater 

conditions at the sites were suitable for debris disposal. Sites that did not have suitable 

underlying clay soils or where groundwater was unacceptably close to the surface were not 

approved for disposal of the hurricane debris. With FEMA’s assistance, MDEQ installed 

groundwater monitoring systems at each of the thirteen emergency landfill sites and the six 

permitted existing landfills that took the Katrina debris. MDEQ also evaluated these sites for 

other concerns, including the protection of nearby wetlands and surface waters (such as rivers, 

streams, or bayous), proximity to residences and other types of structures, and proximity to 

the debris to attempt to minimize the distances that wastes would need to be transported. 

MDEQ maintained a daily presence at these emergency landfill sites during the response to 

ensure that the sites were being operated in a manner that was protective of the state’s natural 

resources. 

At staging and temporary storage sites established by MDEQ in coordination with local 

governments and USACE, vegetative debris, white goods, electronics, hazardous materials, and 

other materials were segregated for proper management. Over the course of the response, 

sites were also established for staging damaged boats and automobiles, crushing concrete, 

staging debris removed from state waters, and other activities. MDEQ required that the sites 

be operated in a manner that was protective of the environment and that prevented public 

nuisances and other problems. 

Vegetative debris was mulched or burned to reduce volume. Conditions were developed for 

locating burn sites that included various set back distances and location stipulations to avoid 

problems and nuisances for local citizens. MDEQ developed an ash-use policy that would allow 

burn sites to propose beneficial use of the debris ash as a soil conditioner upon appropriate 

sampling. In addition, MDEQ worked with USACE to promote use of the millions of cubic yards 

of mulch created as boiler fuel, soil treatments for agriculture, and landscaping around municipal 

and county properties, golf courses, schools, and other sites. Mulch was also used in the live 

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oak recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast, helping the trees recover from the surge and wind 

damage of Hurricane Katrina. Despite finding these varied uses for the mulch, the volume was 

so great that MDEQ had to create additional management sites in some communities strictly 

for mulch for which no market or end use could be found. This problem became more urgent 

when several large mulch piles in the southern part of the state began to spontaneously 

combust. MDEQ worked with USACE at that time to evaluate and approve emergency disposal 

sites for mulch. 

Perhaps the greatest recycling success was with white goods and similar metals. In the three 

coastal counties, more than 24,000 tons of metal were collected, baled, and recycled. An 

estimated 450,000 refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, and hot water heater units were 

recycled. Approximately 1,500 pounds of refrigerant were salvaged from refrigerator and 

freezer units prior to recycling. Smaller amount of aluminum and iron were recycled as well. 

Mississippi had less success in recycling electronics due to the damage and salt water inundation 

to many of the collected units. However, EPA and Best Buy teamed up with MDEQ and Jackson 

County to sponsor a collection event for damaged electronics. 

MDEQ and EPA visited various industrial and commercial facilities to assess potential releases 

of hazardous constituents to the environment. The state was fortunate that these assessments 

did not reveal widespread release of hazardous materials. Releases that were identified were 

contained and addressed. HHW and similar waste from commercial businesses were 

segregated from nonhazardous debris at the point of initial collection, at staging sites, and then 

again at disposal sites. EPA was able to offer curbside collection of HHW in several areas. 

Putrescible waste was another debris stream of concern. Mississippi had public health concerns 

about the tremendous amounts of food waste including poultry, bananas, and pork belly 

products at the state port in Gulfport and seafood products at the Pascagoula Port and at 

seafood industries along the Gulf Coast. This waste had to be collected and disposed of quickly 

to prevent public health problems resulting from the decomposing foods. In a few instances, the 

bulk food wastes were of such significant concern that MDEQ worked with EPA to dispose of 

the materials under the hazardous material management provisions. MDEQ also dealt with 

grocery and convenience stores along the coast that had suffered electricity outages and, in 

some instances, were flooded, leaving rotting and decaying food in the stores. MDEQ worked 

with store owners to develop plans for cleanout and disposal of their putrescible waste. 

Household items, such as large appliances, lawn mowers, computers, and televisions, were also 

segregated in order to remove chemicals, heavy metals, and petroleum products. Generally, the 

bulkiness of these items makes proper compaction at landfills difficult to achieve. Proper 

compaction helps prevent the infiltration of rainwater into the landfill, reducing leachate 

generation and combustion potential within the landfill. Items that could not be recycled were 

sent to MSW landfills with constructed liner systems for disposal. 

Mississippi has made a series of changes in response to problems in response and recovery 

efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The state received $159 million to construct safe rooms and 

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shelters for flooding, tornados, and hurricanes. Mississippi has also been working on hazard 

mitigation efforts including updating building codes, wind retrofits, increasing elevation for flood 

control, improving storm drainage, and implementing siren alert systems. MDEQ worked to 

evaluate and revise Emergency Debris Management policies and compile these policies with 

valuable experience from Hurricane Katrina into a debris management plan. 

For more information on Hurricane Katrina debris management in Mississippi, see 

https://archive.epa.gov/katrina/web/html/. 

Alstead, NH: Flooding 2005 

In early October 2005, the western part of New Hampshire experienced intense rainfall and 

flooding. The area received approximately 12 inches of rainfall in a 30-hour period. Existing 

drainage networks were overwhelmed, leading to the failure of a road embankment. The 

resulting 30-40-foot wall of water and debris discharged into the valley, causing damage to 

private property, destruction of homes and businesses, severe damage to infrastructure, 

extensive erosion, contamination of drinking water, loss of agricultural productivity, and four 

deaths. The flooding destroyed 36 buildings and damaged an additional 71 homes, and about 57 

miles of roads were closed until they could be inspected by New Hampshire Department of 

Transportation teams. These teams examined bridges, steep slopes, and drainage infrastructure 

across the state. Alstead received nearly $1 million from FEMA and state agencies for 

infrastructure repair and public damages. 

Communication 

After the flooding subsided, a command center was established in the Alstead Village Fire 

Station to coordinate between responders. UHF radios were one of the primary methods for 

interagency communication and organizing responders from local, state, and federal agencies. 

Neighboring towns sent equipment and personnel as part of New Hampshire’s Mutual Aid 

program. 

Alstead relied on local television, cell phones, and word of mouth (the small nature of the town 

made this possible) to inform residents of the magnitude of the flooding and about plans to 

collect debris. 

Collection and Segregation 

The town’s community field became a temporary storage area for flood debris. Materials were 

sorted into separate piles of tires, wood, cars, metal, and trees. Trees were shredded into 

wood chips, and topsoil was recovered by screening the woody debris. In order to handle 

incoming disaster debris, existing facility permits were temporarily modified, including allowing 

the disposal of vegetative debris in landfills and exceedance of the annual/monthly disposal 

rates. 

Emergency permits were issued for temporary facilities to collect, process, and dispose of 

debris. Proximity of the facilities to damaged structures and the main debris fields was a major 

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factor in their siting. Pre-identification of sites in several locations would have benefited the 

town by providing time to secure the approval of private land owners, estimate site capacity 

and handling rates, and account for any archeological, historic, or environmental issues while 

providing locational flexibility that enables the community to choose the facility site most 

convenient to debris fields. 

Joplin, MO: Tornado 2011 

Joplin, Missouri was struck by a tornado on May 22, 2011 that was rated as an EF-5 on the 

Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds of 200 mph. The path of the entire tornado was 

22.1 miles long and was up to one mile in width. The tornado's most violent winds were 

observed as it traveled six miles through the central part of Joplin. The tornado displaced 

14,000 people, injured thousands of residents, and caused 162 deaths. FEMA declared this 

tornado the single largest disaster ever to occur in the region. The tornado heavily damaged 

8,000 structures, including the community’s hospital, junior college, and eight local schools. 

The Joplin Tornado generated a total of three million cubic yards of debris throughout the 

disaster area and $2.8 billion of damage. In the storm’s aftermath, EPA conducted response 

operations working closely with partner agencies, primarily the USACE. EPA was allocated a 

total of $6.025 million for the tornado response. 

Communication 

Communication with the public was a key aspect of Joplin’s disaster cleanup plan. A week after 

the tornado, Joplin instructed the residents to segregate their waste on the curb into separate 

piles for vegetative debris, appliances, e-waste, household waste, and C&D debris. EPA 

prioritized communication, conducting more than 70 news media interviews as part of a public 

outreach strategy. Additionally, EPA worked with the City of Joplin to determine facilities for 

the collection, staging, and disposal of disaster debris. 

Collection and Segregation 

EPA, FEMA, USACE, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, other partner agencies, 

and nongovernmental entities worked to reuse and recycle all recovered white goods, propane 

tanks, and other debris. EPA deferred to local jurisdictions for recycling information and 

activities. Joplin kept a significant amount of material out of landfills due to their preparedness 

and willingness to follow guidance from FEMA. The city already had policies in place to recycle 

metal, reuse vegetative debris, and manage HHW. These policies facilitated the city’s disaster 

debris management efforts. 

About 156 tons of e-waste and 257 tons of white goods were collected and recycled. A total of 

28 appliances that were still functioning was donated to the local Habitat for Humanity. The 

majority of vegetative debris was ground into mulch, including over 400,000 yards of downed 

trees. Large amounts of C&D debris from destroyed buildings were also collected. For 

example, one building sustained such extensive damage that it had to be demolished and 

reconstructed; 17,000 tons of C&D debris from the original building were crushed on-site and 

used as base materials in the construction of its replacement. 

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Debris from Joplin was sent either to the Prairie View Municipal Solid Waste Landfill in 

Missouri or to landfills in Kansas. Roughly 230,000 tons (about 1.3 million cubic yards) of 

disaster debris were disposed of in landfills in Kansas, which constitutes more than one-third of 

the total debris generated by the tornado. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment 

offered support in distributing debris to three landfills. Due to the close proximity of the 

Kansas landfills to Joplin, Missouri, transportation costs were reduced. 

New York City, NY: Hurricane Sandy 2012 

Hurricane Sandy hit the coast of New York on October 29, 2012. Sandy caused 43 deaths, 

thousands of injuries, and generated approximately 700,000 tons of debris. City, state, and 

federal authorities cooperated in organizing emergency response efforts. The Office of the 

Mayor of New York City (NYC), NYC Emergency Management, NYC Department of 

Sanitation (DSNY), NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, FEMA, and USACE all played 

critical roles in the emergency response efforts. 

The President authorized a State of Emergency for New York before the arrival of Hurricane 

Sandy. Prior to the arrival of the storm, NYC established an Emergency Operations Center, 

communicated with the public through daily press briefings, and activated its Coastal Storm 

Plan to set up emergency facilities and evacuate residents from high-risk areas. The city also 

created the Downed Tree Task Force, which later became the NYC Debris Removal Task 

Force. 

Communication 

NYC communicated with the public through as many media outlets as possible, including 

television, radio, newspapers, and a variety of internet sources in multiple languages. The city 

also utilized the emergency update system to notify registered users of updates by text. 

Collection and Segregation 

The responding organizations, including USACE and DSNY, worked to recycle or dispose of 

the large quantities of debris. The debris included 22,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris, 

110,000 containers of HHW and e-waste, 23,000 cubic yards of ACM, 1,200 tons of white 

goods, 10,000 cubic yards of concrete, 3,437 cars, and 72 boats. Additionally, over two million 

cubic yards of sand, which had been displaced from beaches, were collected, cleaned, and 

reused to create berms to improve protection from storm surges. The reuse of this sand saved 

NYC approximately $270 per cubic yard in disposal costs and about $80 per yard for new sand 

for restoration uses. 

Due to the immediate concern of protecting human health and life, emergency responders 

chose to transfer debris to landfills and incinerate vegetative debris, overlooking recycling in 

favor of increasing the speed of debris removal. On November 27, NYC and USACE shifted 

from primarily focusing on quick incineration to using vegetative debris as fuel, mulch, and 

landfill cover. Incineration remained a contingency plan to mitigate risks of spontaneous 

combustion to vegetative debris piles. 

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Debris was collected at pre-assigned, state-licensed areas in Buffalo and Albany where debris 

streams were segregated and staged for disposal. New York was able to divert white goods, 

vehicles and vessels, e-waste, concrete, sand, exotic wood from boardwalks, and much of the 

vegetative debris from landfills. Remaining debris was transported to disposal sites by DSNY 

and USACE contractors. 

New York City’s Hurricane Sandy Debris Removal Task Force, which included 25 government 

agencies, was awarded the Green Star Award from the United Nations Office for the 

Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Green Cross International, and the United Nations 

Environment Program in recognition of the task force’s efforts to prepare for and respond to 

the environmental disaster. Working through the challenges of highly limited space parameters, 

removing the large amounts of debris that had accumulated in undeveloped wetland areas, and 

recycling large quantities of debris were all recognized as critical aspects of the response 

efforts. 

The 2013 NYC Hurricane Sandy After Action Report is located at 

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/housingrecovery/downloads/pdf/2017/sandy_aar_5-2-13.pdf, and 

FEMA’s Hurricane Sandy After-Action Report is located at https://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/assets/documents/33772. 

St. Louis Metro Area, MO: Floods 2015 

The State of Missouri’s governor declared a State of Emergency on December 27, 2015, due to 

historic and widespread flooding and destruction. The flooding caused at least fifteen deaths in 

Missouri and damaged approximately 7,100 buildings. The President declared a national State of 

Emergency on January 2, 2016. Missouri’s Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. Louis counties 

were among the most impacted areas. 

Communication 

Communication between EPA and state and local officials facilitated the establishment of sites 

for the collection, staging, and disposal of debris. In response to the flooding in the St. Louis 

Metro Area, EPA deployed a suite of mobile and web-based GIS technologies designed to 

provide federal On-Scene Coordinators, state partners, and regional managers with a common 

operational picture of the response. This incident was the first major incident where mobile 

collection devices were utilized; their use proved to be highly successful. The technologies also 

built on public outreach, providing information in a web-based forum. Engagement of the 

community was essential for debris segregation. 

Collection and Segregation 

EPA worked on emergency response and debris management activities in collaboration with 

FEMA and USACE, as well as state personnel, USACE specialists, and National Guard members. 

FEMA issued Mission Assignments to EPA to collect HHW, e-waste, orphaned containers, and 

C&D debris. (EPA does not typically lead the collection of C&D or other non-hazardous debris 

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for the federal government.) With experience acquired from its work following other major 

natural disasters, including the Joplin tornado in 2011 and flooding in Iowa in 2008, EPA 

implemented its “lean and green” approach to help the residents of the St. Louis Metro Area 

recover as quickly as possible while minimizing costs to both taxpayers and the environment. 

EPA operated a drop-off collection facility in Eureka, conducted aerial assessments to identify 

affected areas and locate flood debris, and deployed boats to collect various orphaned 

containers and debris from lakes, streams, and shorelines. The Eureka facility was identified as a 

staging site for HHW because it fell outside the floodplain. After the conclusion of most of the 

recovery efforts, a small EPA team remained to assist community volunteers in a final effort to 

collect remaining debris and close out the agency’s response operations. 

EPA and its contractors collected debris and hazardous materials during a two-month period. 

HHW that had been collected at curbsides, as well as orphaned containers like drums, tanks, 

fluid totes, and canisters that were found floating in or washed up near waterways, were 

gathered at EPA’s staging area near Eureka. Crews sorted and grouped items by type prior to 

shipping them off for processing and disposal at approved hazardous waste facilities. Hazardous 

components, including refrigerants, were safely captured and stripped from discarded 

refrigerators and freezers so that they and other discarded major appliances could be recycled 

for scrap metal through a private firm. Use of this local firm minimized time, transportation 

costs, and environmental impacts. Instead of being sent to a landfill, e-waste and similar items, 

including televisions, computer equipment, lamps, small appliances, and stereos, were sent to 

the American Military Veterans Assistance Corporation in St. Louis, which is a local, non-profit 

community organization that specializes in the recycling of these items. About 317 drums, 

20,852 assorted small containers, 112 large containers, 179 propane tanks, 266 compressed gas 

tanks, 1,032 units of white goods, 403 batteries, 177 small engines, and 6,037 electronic items 

were collected. 

Over 22,000 cubic yards of residential flood debris, including 8,913 cubic yards of sandbag 

debris and 13,500 cubic yards of vegetative debris, were collected and removed. Large 

quantities of vegetative debris were ground into mulch for landscaping and soil conditioning 

purposes. EPA also handled the collection and disposal of 1,310 tons (2,620,000 pounds) of 

sandbags. C&D debris removed from damaged structures could not be recycled because of 

excessive exposure to water and sediment. Instead, C&D debris from residential areas was sent 

to two local landfills. Once again, the close location of debris disposal sites to debris sources 

reduced transportation costs and saved time. 

Northern California: Wildfires 2017 

As reported by California’s State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), 

Northern California experienced multiple widespread firestorms beginning October 8, 2017, 

with containment 23 days later. In the initial hours, 44 lives were lost along with thousands of 

homes across Mendocino, Napa, Lake, and Sonoma counties. For more than three weeks, fires 

burned over 300 square miles of wildlands, rural residential areas, town and city subdivisions, 

and commercial properties, resulting in the largest California debris management project since 

the 1906 earthquake. Major debris management operations ended by June 12, 2018, with nearly 

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100 percent of the debris removal completed, a critical goal allowing for community recovery 

and for water quality protection. Original debris estimates included over 9,000 structures, 

10,000 vehicles, and 19 million burned trees. Nearly 8 months after the event, under federal 

and state emergency response incident command actions directed by the USACE, 

approximately 2.2 million tons of fire debris were removed from areal burn zones and taken to 

local landfills or redirected for recycling and/or reuse. 

Debris Management 

As the North Coast Region of the State Water Board did not have an emergency response 

mechanism in place, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board staff worked closely 

with State Water Board staff to develop short-term permitting processes to facilitate the 

management and disposal of vast quantities of fire debris and wastes within jurisdictional areas, 

followed by a longer term permitting process to provide for disposal in appropriately designed 

and constructed composite-lined landfills. Specifically, on November 3, 2017, the North Coast 

Regional Water Quality Control Board Executive Officer issued a temporary conditional waiver 

of waste discharge requirements for disaster-related wastes during a state of emergency within 

the North Coast Region (Order No. R1-2017-0055). On December 13, 2017, the North Coast 

Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a long-term conditional waiver (R1-2017-

0056). Due to fires crossing jurisdictional areas, the North Coast and San Francisco Bay 

Regional Water Quality Control Boards coordinated their actions, both adopting similar orders 

on December 13, 2017. 

During the initial week of the emergency and concurrent with development of the conditional 

waivers, staff began working with nearby landfill owners/operators to identify and quantify 

available constructed capacity on composite landfill liners ready to receive fire wastes. 

Operators electing to receive disaster-related wastes submitted a Notice of Intent for 

enrollment in the emergency conditional waiver. Staff of the Water Boards and Cal Recycle 

compiled lists of enrolled facilities to provide to the Office of Emergency Services’ operations 

centers to facilitate contract services for federal cleanup, implemented by USACE. County 

Local Assistance Centers made these lists available to affected members of the public and 

shared the information across various media outlets. 

At the time of the fires, the single operating landfill in the North Coast Region and in Sonoma 

County (Central Disposal Site) was completing construction of a new expansion cell that 

would, coincidentally, create composite-lined waste disposal capacity sufficient to accommodate 

a significant volume of burn debris locally. From the first week of the fires, North Coast 

Regional Water Quality Control Board staff worked very closely with the operator of the 

landfill to ensure the new cell project would be complete and available for emergency debris 

disposal. This required that the operator immediately begin design work for construction of an 

additional unit to accommodate wastes associated with normal operations. The operator 

constructed the expansion unit concurrent with emergency debris management operations, 

thereby alleviating any capacity problems. 

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North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board staff worked closely with Sonoma County 

Transportation and Public Works (TPW) staff to pre-plan siting for storage and disposal of 

potential slide debris at two of the County’s closed landfill sites. The regional water board staff 

also worked closely with TPW staff to ensure that an additional deck of a County closed landfill 

was made available for emergency response crews to store and process downed trees and 

vegetation cleared from roadways. Short-term waste piles at the closed landfill were chipped 

and ground for later restoration projects needing mulch and erosion control/landscape 

materials. North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board staff also worked closely with 

owners/operators of several local businesses involved in accepting, storing, and processing 

recyclable fire debris, including metal and concrete, and ensured that owners/operators of 

those sites were implementing appropriate best management practices to protect water quality, 

as well as were enrolled for coverage under the conditional waiver. 

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board staff worked with EPA staff to assist with 

siting and relocating their contracted site for temporary storage and processing of hazardous 

waste, after they needed to move their operations approximately midway through the federal 

assessment and cleanup efforts. Staff note that local knowledge of suitable properties is critical 

when time is of the essence. 

In addition to the work associated with facilitating fire debris management, North Coast 

Regional Water Quality Control Board staff participated in and/or led a number of other fire 

damage assessment and recovery efforts, including, but not limited to: 1) participating with Cal 

Fire teams to conduct risk assessment in burned areas; 2) securing funding from the state’s 

Cleanup and Abatement Account to purchase straw wattles and other sediment control 

devices; 3) leading and/or working with teams in the City of Santa Rosa to deploy best 

management practices for erosion control and debris containment; 4) assessing burned areas 

throughout unincorporated portions of Sonoma County to identify areas posing a high threat 

for debris discharge to surface waters and then working closely with Cal Fire crews to confirm 

and deploy suitable best management practices for debris containment in those areas; and 5) 

sampling local streams to assess fire-related impacts to water quality and, if possible, to assess 

effectiveness of debris containment and stormwater treatment/protection best management 

practices deployed in burned areas. 

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Planning for Natural Disaster Debris
	

United States Environmental Protection Agency
	

Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
	

https://www.epa.gov/homeland-security-waste
	

April 2019