News
Contractors in place to help with debris removal in event of major natural disaster
By Governor Rell's office
Sep 21, 2008 - 2:48 PM

Governor M. Jodi Rell yesterday announced the State of Connecticut has taken a significant step toward responding to any major natural disaster by hiring three private contractors to manage and remove large amounts of debris that could be generated by such an event.

"Hurricane season is here and past years have shown us all how critical it is to anticipate and prepare for potentially large amounts of debris left in the wake of these major storms," Governor Rell said. "We cannot afford to rely on federal assistance and will certainly need help from the private sector. That is why we have taken this step of hiring contractors to assist us in this effort."

The selection of the contractors allows the state to submit the Debris Management Plan to FEMA for final approval. FEMA approval will make the state eligible for an additional 5 percent in federal reimbursement for costs associated with debris clean-up. The additional funding is part of a pilot program administered by FEMA and Connecticut is one of the first states to apply.

The state's Disaster Debris Management Plan has established a framework for state agencies and municipalities to properly manage debris generated by hurricanes, tornados, ice storms or other crises. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection prepared the plan with guidance from FEMA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, based on lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The plan covers two types of activities:

· Debris Removal: Allowing the state to efficiently remove large volumes of disaster-generated debris in a timely and cost-effective manner and lawfully managing the recycling and disposal of the debris

· Debris Monitoring: Allowing the state to perform inspection and monitoring of disaster debris removal operations

The contracts for the plan have been awarded to:

* Beck Disaster Recovery, Inc.; Orlando, Florida - debris monitoring
* AshBritt, Inc.; Pompano Beach, Florida - debris management
* Phillips and Jordan, Inc.; Knoxville, Tennessee - debris management

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