Hurricane Gustav Debris Management and Removal for EBR Parish

Background

APTIM provided debris removal project management support after Hurricane Gustav hit the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish, causing $10+ Million in damage. Debris consisted of downed trees, building wreckage, and damaged personal property. We monitored debris removal from city/parish-maintained roads, rights-of-way, and public property as part of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) program.

Our Approach

We prepared a debris management plan in accordance with FEMA, Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) guidelines. Estimates of debris quantities to the city/parish to facilitate planning, forecasting, and preparation of project worksheets (PW) with FEMA personnel were provided. Databases were created and maintained as a mechanism to track and monitor debris volume and type and for invoice cross-checking.

A critical component for justification and documentation for FEMA public assistance funding was monitoring the amount of debris for disposal. We monitored collection of 2.2+ million cubic yards of debris in a 15-week period, with 1+ million cubic yards of debris collected in the first 17 days of the project. Additionally, we monitored removal of hazardous trees, hangers, and stumps from every street in the city and unincorporated areas of East Baton Rouge Parish, including 13,000+ hazardous tree locations (leaners and hangers) in an 8-week time period, also meeting the city/parish scheduled goals.

Finally, we integrated database information from the Urban Forestry Strike Team (UFST) into the Baton Rouge MetroKey map book grid system to facilitate efficient removal of hazardous trees, hangers, and stumps from within the UFST work areas. Debris in areas not covered by the UFST was identified, and we monitored the removal of hazardous trees, hangers, and stumps throughout the city/parish.

Outcomes