In cases where the damage and debris are so extensive that it exceeds local and state capabilities, FEMA can assign the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers a mission to provide debris management assistance in support of the National Response Framework.

There are no “typical” debris management missions – each one is a bit different.  There are two types of mission assignments:  a) Direct Federal Assistance and b) Federal Operations Support.

Direct Federal Assistance (DFA) missions may consist of one or more tasks, including, but not limited to:

• Right of Way (ROW) Debris Removal – Removal, reduction and disposal of debris from the public right of way and other public property, such as parks and schools.
• Emergency Clearance – A roadway clearance mission generally requires moving debris to the median or side of the ROW to allow for emergency traffic.
• Private Property Debris Removal (PPDR) – Removal, reduction and disposal of debris from private property, when directed by FEMA.
• Demolition – Removal, reduction and disposal of residential or commercial structures.
• Debris Removal from Drainage Structures – Removal, reduction and disposal of debris from natural streams, reservoirs and engineered channels.
• Waterway/Wet Debris – Removal, reduction and disposal of debris from coastal waters where the debris impedes navigation or produces a hazard to safety.
• CDM - The Contaminated Debris Management (CDM) Mission results from a detonation that creates general construction debris, and the like, that is contaminated with a hazardous material or a chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear agent; Mission assignments could include Emergency Clearance, Structural Instability, Demolition, long-term debris removal and technical assistance.
• Dead Animal Carcasses – Removal of dead animals is considered debris (paragraph is within the ACI specifying dead animals as debris); location of the carcass determines the type of debris: on the road – right of way debris; on private property – PPDR; in the water – waterway debris

USACE Mission Capabilities – FOS or DFA Technical Assistance / Technical Monitoring Missions

• Assistance to local governments in developing debris removal contracts include estimating debris quantities, preparing scopes of work for debris removal and quality assurance oversight, and assistance with environmental issues.
• Assistance with training and coordination of FEMA and Local government debris monitors.
• Providing FEMA with oversight of State and/or local debris operations

Good-to-Knows

• Usually the largest Corps mission, funding, and personnel.
• Requires experienced/knowledgeable personnel to guide initial planning.
• Requires team effort: FEMA, USACE, ACI Contractor, other ESFs, and State/Local governments.
• Debris Clearance: Moving debris off roadway.
• Debris Removal: Load, haul, reduce, and dispose of debris.
• Disposal sites are key to scoping the mission.
• Units reported in cubic yard or tons. It is important to maintain debris volume records even if units are not contracted per cubic yard or ton (e.g., time and material, lump sum).
• Safety of the public, government personnel, military personnel, voluntary organization laborers, and contractors is kept a #1 priority to ensure no further losses incur as a result of debris clearance, removal and disposal operations.
• FEMA debris eligibility requirements can vary with each disaster.

Mission Contracting

Advance Contract Initiative.   ACI Regional Contracts for Debris Management Services (RCDMS) are designed to address the need for emergency debris removal services in response to natural or man-made disasters and emergencies throughout the entire
Contiguous United States (CONUS) and Outside the Contiguous United States(OCONUS) for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories within Region 8 - POD. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not covered by the ACI-RCDMS contracts.

There are currently eight (8) Single Award Task Order Contracts (SATOCs) awarded for the eight (8) unrestricted regions identified in Table 1 below to allow for maximum coverage.

Technical Assistance – The Corps provides assistance to local governments in developing debris removal contracts and assisting with environmental issues, as well as training and coordination of FEMA and local government debris monitors.

Federal Operations Support – The Corps provides oversight for FEMA of state and local debris operations.

There are seven Debris Planning and Response Teams located in district offices in Baltimore, Ft. Worth, Louisville, Mobile, New Orleans, Portland and Sacramento.

Mission: 

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  Haiti Response

  A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Urban Search and Rescue Strike Team deployed to Port Au Prince, Haiti under a USAID mission assignment for search & rescue/recovery operations, as well as infrastructure assessments in the area, Jan 2010. The primary mission became the recovery efforts of American citizens, and ultimately all remaining victims from the Hotel Montana, a 5-story concrete and masonry structure that suffered a catastrophic pancake-collapse during a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit on Jan. 12, 2010 at 4:53pm. Hotel Montana was a 4-star hotel that was popular for visitors of all nations and foreign dignitaries. The rescue/recovery efforts involved a multinational response of rescue teams. The operation required careful delayering of the collapsed structure for sensitive victim recovery. The USACE mission successfully recovered 66 victims.

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  VIRIN: 100114-A-A1401-1001
  The US Army Corps of Engineers Urban Search & Rescue Program (US&R Program) deploys specially trained and equipped structural engineers (Structures Specialist Cadre) to augment  FEMA US&R Task Forces, Incident Support Teams, military technical rescue organizations, and general-purpose troops during structural collapse incidents and other disaster response missions.
• This rescue engineering capability provides technical support and advice to task force leaders and commanders to assess damage, mitigate hazards, enable safe entry, and assure mobility throughout a disaster site to enable rescue and lifesaving operations.
• The US&R Program develops doctrine, training programs, and national standards for structural collapse response operations, conducts initial training courses, advanced coursework, exercises, and continuing education for ALL Structures Specialists (StS) from USACE, FEMA and State US&R Task Forces and others, under Emergency Support Function (ESF) #9 of the National Response Framework.
• On order, the program also deploys its Cadre to conduct heavy structural assessments, in support of ESF #3 requirements and other military/civil contingency requirements (e.g., 2006-2022 Hurricanes, 2017/18 Wildfires, 2019 Ridgecrest EQ, COVID-19 Missions).  

Additional Mission Capabilities:

• Provide technical assistance to local jurisdictions regarding rescue efforts.
• Provide other agency technical support (e.g., FBI, DEA, ATF, NIST, etc.).
• Support to the HQ USACE Civil Military Emergency Preparedness Program, and other international requirements. 

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Urban Search and Rescue

Members of the USACE Urban Search and Rescue Team are specially-trained and equipped structural engineers which augment FEMA Urban Search & Rescue Task Forces, incident support teams, military technical rescue organizations and general puporse troops during structural collapse incidents and other disaster response missions.

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VIRIN: 100114-A-A1401-1015

Facts: The HQ USACE US&R Program is managed out of SPD and maintains a Cadre of StS from across the USACE Enterprise. The “Structures Specialist” position is a formal position on a FEMA US&R Task Force, which has intensive rescue and disaster engineering training and certification requirements. The StS brings engineering expertise to the US&R Task Force. They receive specialized instruction in structural collapse patterns, hazard identification, building monitoring, rapid assessment of buildings, building triage and marking systems, advance shoring and shoring calculations.  The StS position has also become standard in many State and Military rescue organizations.

Urban Search and Rescue is a dangerous undertaking conducted in fully or partially collapsed structures in austere environments.  These structures are typically multi-storied, containing heavy debris with a high potential for additional collapse.  The StS evaluates damaged structures and hazards in order to mitigate and reduce risks to rescue personnel and victims during rescue operations. StS deploy within 6 hours of notification with an equipment cache and are able to self-sustain for 72 hours to a limited degree. Mission durations are typically 6-10 days for 24/7 lifesaving operations. 

FEMA can deploy a Type 1 Task Force, which includes only 2 StS for continuous 24-hr operations. Large scale, heavy structural disaster missions require much more disaster engineering resources, which the USACE US&R Program provides. The USACE StS Cadre is an essential component of FEMA US&R Task Forces and many other partners.