Companion Guide to Video March 2016

www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials

When disaster strikes, the Federal Highway 

Administration's (FHWA’s) Emergency Relief, or 

ER program, can help fund repairs to roads, 

bridges, and other infrastructure eligible for 

Federal-aid. 

This module provides information on the 

process for receiving reimbursement of ER 

expenses after FHWA approves the completed 

work. 

Let's quickly review the initial steps for 

requesting FHWA ER funds covered in another 

module. After a natural disaster or catastrophic 

failure is officially declared, a State department 

of transportation or DOT sends the FHWA 

division office a notice of intent to request ER 

funds and coordinates with the FHWA to assess 

the damage. The DOT is FHWA official contact 

for damages, including those for local agencies, 

and all funds are reimbursed via the DOT. The 

DOT works with the division office to use either 

the standard application method or quick 

release application method to request ER funds. 

The quick-release method means an expedited 

initial damage review and division Office 

endorsement, followed by the FHWA 

headquarters allocating a portion of the 

anticipated funds. After any quick-release set 

aside of funds, the ER process reverts to the 

standard method. 

This module picks up the standard application 

method as FHWA takes actions that set the 

stage for additional funds allocations and 

reimbursement to the DOT. The DOT will in turn 

Federal-aid Program Overview

Emergency Relief (ER)

Steps for Receiving Reimbursement of ER Expenses

A State DOT must work closely with its FHWA division counterparts to 

evaluate and document known disaster sites to receive needed ER funding
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

transfer funds to local agencies as appropriate. 

The ER program is a reimbursable program, so 

funds are not given in advance, and agencies 

must consider cash flow issues. Funds allocated 

are released when the DOT submit invoices, and 

FHWA approved the completed work. 

To begin, the FHWA division reviews that 

Damage Survey Summary Report or DSSR, along 

with any associated site inspections reported on 

Detailed Damage Inspection Report forms, or 

DDIRs, and estimates the ER fund needs. FHWA 

independently verifies the damage and 

eligibility, usually by evaluating a sample of 

sites. 

If the application with the DSSR meets all 

requirements, the FHWA division administrator 

notifies the DOT that FHWA has approved 

general ER funding eligibility for the disaster 

event and were warranted repairs. This serves 

as the official finding that a natural disaster or 

catastrophic failure has occurred, and caused 

substantial damage to Federal-aid highways. 

This approval addresses eligibility only, and no 

funds have been allocated to this point. 

Upon approval, the FHWA division immediately 

request an allocation of ER funds from 

headquarters based on the estimated need. The 

request must include certain information and 

copies of documents as outlined in the FHWA 

emergency relief manual. The allocation 

request is only for the current Federal fiscal 

year, and may be less than the total ER needs 

for the entire event. DOTs work with their 

division office to update the requests each fiscal 

year. The actual allocation also depends on the 

availability of ER funds nationwide. 

Once the DOT receives eligibility approval, it 

must promptly submit an initial program of 

projects, documenting the known damage sites.

This initial program of projects is due within 

three months after the disaster finding by the 

FHWA division administrator. 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

The program of projects is part of the evolving 

ER application, augmenting the DSSR, and 

serving as a comprehensive list of all eligible 

project sites and repair costs. The program of 

projects:

- Establishes the extent of the natural disaster 

or catastrophic failure and when it occurred.

- Connects the damage to that described in the 

DDIRs.

- Identifies emergency repairs, and describes 

proposed permanent repairs on a site by site 

basis.

- Includes supporting material that indicate the 

suitability and economy of upgrades, also 

known as Betterments.

- Allows for tracking of eligible projects to 

support additional allocations of ER funds and 

subsequent invoicing. 

The FHWA division administrator then reviews 

and approves the program of projects 

submitted to that point, including the sites, 

proposed repairs, and estimated cost. Any 

previously completed emergency repairs and 

preliminary engineering are also evaluated and 

approved for funding eligibility. However,

FHWA must authorize permanent restoration 

work before it begins, unless that work is part 

of emergency repairs. 

Once permanent repairs begin, the DOT follows 

regular Federal-aid project delivery procedures, 

in addition to the ER requirements for tracking 

and reporting the program of projects. 

The program of projects continues to evolve 

into the final ER application, including 

appropriate documentation to justify funding. 

Working with the FHWA division, the DOT 

regularly updates the program of projects with 

details on any of the damage sites to request 

additional funding. FHWA gives final approval 

based on justification and availability of ER 

funds. All projects must be included in the final 

program of projects within two years after the 

disaster occurrence. 

Let's look at a flood event involving seven 

counties in a Midwestern state as an example of 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

how the emergency relief process works for 

receiving the reimbursement of funds. 

These counties experienced serious flooding 

over several days. FHWA approved the DOT’s 

use of the quick-release application method to 

make an initial request for ER funding, which set 

up an allocation of limited funds to begin 

emergency repairs. The DOT then reverted to 

the standard application method to request 

additional funding allocations. 

Federal, State, and local officials conducted a 

thorough damage assessment to update the 

Damage Survey Summary Report and begin to 

document a more detailed estimate of the 

disaster scope and sites eligible for ER funding. 

The FHWA division office reviewed the 

application and updated DSSR submitted by the 

DOT, doing some field checks to independently 

confirm the damage and eligibility of the sites. 

The division office notified the DOT of initial ER 

eligibility approval, and requested from FHWA 

headquarters an allocation of ER funds for the 

current Federal fiscal year, based on the 

estimated need beyond the quick-release 

allocation. 

The DOT followed next by submitting the initial 

program of projects within three months of the 

disaster declaration. 

The division administrator's approval of the 

program of projects confirmed funding for 

eligible emergency repairs already completed, 

and for justified permanent repairs to move 

ahead. 

Some permanent repairs were completed as 

part of the emergency repairs, because this was 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

more cost-effective. The DOT processed 

additional permanent repairs using the 

standard project delivery requirements, and 

was reimbursed as the work was completed to 

Federal requirements and invoices submitted to 

a FHWA. The final program of projects was 

approved within two years after the disaster 

occurrence. 

The governor also requested and received a 

presidential disaster declaration through the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency or 

FEMA. The FEMA request was separate from 

the FHWA ER program and covered items like 

debris removal and repairs to non-Federal-aid 

highways. 

To learn more about the Emergency Relief 

Program, watch the other ER modules in this 

series. In addition, ER policies and procedures, 

such as the quick-release application, can 

change to meet the demands of emergency 

relief support, so please contact your State 

department of transportation and FHWA 

division office for the latest information.
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

The content of this 

document is not a 

substitute for 

information obtained 

from State departments 

of transportation, 

appropriate FHWA 

Division Offices, and 

applicable laws. 

Scenarios have been 

simplified for emphasis 

and do not necessarily 

reflect the actual range of 

requirements applicable 

to the scenario or this 

topic. This document

was created under 

contract number 

DTFH63-11-F-00066 by 

the Federal Highway 

Administration, U.S. 

Department of 

Transportation, and is 

offered to the public to 

heighten and focus 

awareness of Federal-aid 

requirements within the 

local public agencies 

community and 

reinforces the 

importance of these 

necessary policies, 

procedures, and 

practices.

This Companion Resource 

is the script content for 

the video production of 

the same name. 

Additional Resources

• FHWA’s Emergency Relief Program Web site

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/erelief.cfm

• FHWA Order 5182.1 - Emergency Relief Program Responsibilities

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/orders/51821.cfm

• FHWA’s Emergency Relief Manual

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/erm/er.pdf

• Emergency Relief questions and answers related to MAP-21

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/map21/qandas/qaer.cfm

• FHWA’s Web site covering Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads 

(ERFO)

http://www.efl.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/erfo.aspx

• FHWA’s Contract Administration Core Curriculum providing an overview 

of Federal contracting requirements

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/contracts/coretoc.cfm

• FEMA’s policy and guidance covering public assistance

http://www.fema.gov/public-assistance-policy-and-guidance

• FEMA facts sheet on debris removal on Federal-aid Highways

http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/29617?id=6640