Getting the Brush
I might have been premature yesterday when I typed kudos to FEMA.
The agency announced late in the day that it would not extend the deadline for reimbursing Jefferson County for 100 percent of debris-cleanup costs. That means cleanup will be stalled until the county signs a contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The signing is expected today, with the Corps expected to be in action within 48 hours.
In its flush letter to the county, FEMA stated: "Based on our review of all the information available, it has been determined that the impacts associated with Hurricane Rita are not much of such severity and magnitude as to warrant further extension of the 100 percent federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures ... "
According to recent FEMA estimated given to me in a telephone conference call Oct. 11, Rita left behind 5 million cubic yards of debris. That's enough to build a two-lane road from Los Angeles to London. The Hoover Dam, by comparison, contains only 3.3 million cubic yards of concrete.
Not severe and of great magnitude?
Too bad the Texas A&M bonfire near Thanksgiving is no more, because an impressive pyrotechnic display could be had, perhaps one inspiring enough to motivate the Aggies into beating the Longhorns this year.
County Judge Carl Griffith pointed out that the Corps might take longer to clean up the debris, and it will cost the federal goverment an additional $18 million, because the county-hired contractors were paid less. The contractors were making $11.28 to $14 per cubic yards, compared with the $20 to $21 the Corps pays, he said.
The feds are still going to pay, but it's going to cost them more. The good part, I suppose, is that despite the fact that the U.S. taxpayers will foot the bill, the Corps from what I'm told will hire locally, meaning that some folks are going to get a nice raise.
Meanwhile, Louisiana got a 30-day extension for the 100 percent reimbursement for Rita debris. While that side of the state border got walloped, there is a far greater population here in Jefferson County, home to the large cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur and a whole lot of people in between.
Regarding federal cleanup help, the county had two choices: Hire private contracts and get FEMA reimbursement or bring in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do the work.
The former lasts 34 days before slipping from 100 percent reimbursement to 75 percent. The county estimated that it would pay $10 million to make up the other 25 percent.
So now they're scrambling to sign a contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which already is at work in 11 surrounding Southeast Texas counties. More than a month after the storm, only one-third of the Jefferson County debris has been removed, and the volume picked up so far is slightly higher than the amount of debris the Corps has removed from the 11 other counties combined, Griffith said.
Life here will take a huge step toward normalcy with the removal of all the rotting crap, from moldy refrigerators and heaping piles of building debris to small mountains of hacked-up timber.
We've all been pretty patient so far, but it's only a matter of time before debris rage sets in throughout the land.
The agency announced late in the day that it would not extend the deadline for reimbursing Jefferson County for 100 percent of debris-cleanup costs. That means cleanup will be stalled until the county signs a contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The signing is expected today, with the Corps expected to be in action within 48 hours.
In its flush letter to the county, FEMA stated: "Based on our review of all the information available, it has been determined that the impacts associated with Hurricane Rita are not much of such severity and magnitude as to warrant further extension of the 100 percent federal funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures ... "
According to recent FEMA estimated given to me in a telephone conference call Oct. 11, Rita left behind 5 million cubic yards of debris. That's enough to build a two-lane road from Los Angeles to London. The Hoover Dam, by comparison, contains only 3.3 million cubic yards of concrete.
Not severe and of great magnitude?
Too bad the Texas A&M bonfire near Thanksgiving is no more, because an impressive pyrotechnic display could be had, perhaps one inspiring enough to motivate the Aggies into beating the Longhorns this year.
County Judge Carl Griffith pointed out that the Corps might take longer to clean up the debris, and it will cost the federal goverment an additional $18 million, because the county-hired contractors were paid less. The contractors were making $11.28 to $14 per cubic yards, compared with the $20 to $21 the Corps pays, he said.
The feds are still going to pay, but it's going to cost them more. The good part, I suppose, is that despite the fact that the U.S. taxpayers will foot the bill, the Corps from what I'm told will hire locally, meaning that some folks are going to get a nice raise.
Meanwhile, Louisiana got a 30-day extension for the 100 percent reimbursement for Rita debris. While that side of the state border got walloped, there is a far greater population here in Jefferson County, home to the large cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur and a whole lot of people in between.
Regarding federal cleanup help, the county had two choices: Hire private contracts and get FEMA reimbursement or bring in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do the work.
The former lasts 34 days before slipping from 100 percent reimbursement to 75 percent. The county estimated that it would pay $10 million to make up the other 25 percent.
So now they're scrambling to sign a contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which already is at work in 11 surrounding Southeast Texas counties. More than a month after the storm, only one-third of the Jefferson County debris has been removed, and the volume picked up so far is slightly higher than the amount of debris the Corps has removed from the 11 other counties combined, Griffith said.
Life here will take a huge step toward normalcy with the removal of all the rotting crap, from moldy refrigerators and heaping piles of building debris to small mountains of hacked-up timber.
We've all been pretty patient so far, but it's only a matter of time before debris rage sets in throughout the land.
posted by Brian Pearson at 2:07 PM
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