Hurricanes Gustav and Ike Debris Management and Removal for Grand Isle, LA

Project Approach

APTIM’s emergency management and disaster services team provided comprehensive disaster debris management services for debris removal efforts from public property and rights-of-way on Grand Isle, which was hit particularly hard and inundated with sand debris when the levee on the gulf side of the island failed. We assessed private property damage as part of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) program. Through our efforts, our team established temporary debris staging, disposal, and reduction sites on Grand Isle and coordinated clean-up efforts for the removal of vegetative, construction and demolition (C&D), and sand debris. We served as liaison between parish and town officials and assisted the parish to secure FEMA approval of sand removal from private property where it was an imminent threat to the drainage system.

Accomplishments

• Assisted the parish to develop bid documents to secure prices from pre-qualified hauling processing and disposal contractors
• Provided field inspectors and monitors for right-of-way debris removal
• Monitored citizen drop-off sites
• Identified temporary debris staging, disposal, and reduction sites
• Maintained a load ticket database entering tickets daily
• Provided daily reports to the Parish for release to FEMA and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ)
• Prepared geographic information system (GIS) tracking maps to inform the client and the public of work progress