Disaster Debris Management: Requirements, Challenges, and Federal Agency Roles (CRS Report for Congress)
Premium Purchase PDF for $24.95 (16 pages)
add to cart or
subscribe for unlimited access
Pro Premium subscribers have free access to our full library of CRS reports.
Subscribe today, or
request a demo to learn more.
| Release Date |
Sept. 6, 2017 |
| Report Number |
R44941 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Luther, Linda G. |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
Every year, communities in the United States are affected by disasters such as hurricanes,
earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, floods, wildfires, and winter storms. After a disaster, when a
region turns its attention to rebuilding, one of the greatest challenges often involves properly
managing disaster-related debris.
Disaster debris typically includes soils and sediments, vegetation (trees, limbs, shrubs), municipal
solid waste (common household garbage, personal belongings), construction and demolition
debris (in some instances, entire residential structures and all their contents), vehicles, food waste,
“white goods” (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners), and household hazardous waste(cleaning
agents, pesticides, pool chemicals). Each type of waste may contain or be contaminated with
toxic or hazardous constituents.
In the short term, debris removal is necessary to facilitate the recovery of a geographic area. In
the long term, the methods by which these wastes are managed requires proper consideration to
ensure that their management (e.g., by landfilling) will not pose future threats to human health or
the environment.
Under a number of different conditions and authorities, several agencies may provide debris
removal assistance to communities affected by a disaster. For example, under certain conditions,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funding for disaster debris
removal and/or approves direct federal assistance to certain entities that do not have the capability
to respond to a disaster. Also, under certain conditions, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may assist communities with debris removal
activities. For example, the Corps may perform right-of-way clearance, curbside waste pickup,
private property debris removal, and property demolition, and EPA may help coordinate the
collection and management of contaminated debris and household hazardous wastes.
This report focuses on the requirements applicable to disaster debris management and the
challenges that communities face when attempting to manage it both quickly and safely. This
report also provides an overview of the types of support provided by FEMA, the Corps, and EPA
with respect to disaster debris removal. A discussion of the programs or statutory authorities
under which that support may be provided is beyond the scope of this report. There are a number
of conditions under which federal agencies may support communities with disaster debris
removal. With respect to FEMA’s involvement in debris removal assistance, this report focuses on
support that may be provided after the President declares the incident to involve a “major
disaster” under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford
Act, P.L. 93-288, as amended).
