What comes after signing of right-of-entry forms?

(From the City of Joplin)

If you are a resident from the areas of Joplin hardest hit by the May 22, 2011 tornado, the city has asked you to sign and return a Right-of-Entry (ROE) form to allow government-funded contractors to go onto your property and remove loose storm debris under the Expedited Debris Removal (EDR) initiative.

Valid, signed forms can be returned to Joplin City Hall. The City of Joplin has set a deadline of June 17, 2011 for receipt of these forms. If you are unable to return the form by June 17, please call the Tornado Assistance Information Line at 417-627-2900. If you choose not to participate in the Expedited Debris Removal (EDR) initiative, you will be responsible to clear storm debris from your property and to pay any associated costs.

What’s Next

1) When the City of Joplin receives your form, a 72-hour waiting period begins before the property is processed for action. This waiting period provides you with a final opportunity to remove any remaining possessions you want to keep before government-funded contractors begin clearing the property.

2) At that time, Joplin city staff will:

§ Record receipt of your form for the EDR initiative;

§ Check to ensure your address is eligible – meaning that it falls within the boundaries of the hardest-hit area;

§ Verify that the person who signed the form is an authorized signatory, according to property tax records;

§ Check with the Missouri Department of Insurance to determine if your claim process has been completed so that removing debris will not jeopardize your insurance payout.

3) Next, the city submits your original form to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), where it’s logged and reviewed a second time for eligibility. This is done because FEMA has the responsibility to provide federal oversight for the EDR initiative.

4) Eligible addresses are forwarded for action to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which has been tasked by FEMA to manage all federal aspects of EDR, including hiring contractors to pick up and haul away damaged items.

5) USACE assigns a debris-removal crew to perform the work.

Site Work

7) The majority of the work will be performed with skid-loaders, but larger equipment may be required, depending on the amount and size of the debris.

8) The debris will be sorted (i.e. white goods, electronic waste, household hazardous waste, small, motorized equipment, etc.) and moved to the curb, just as in earlier right-of-way phases of debris removal where it will be picked up and hauled away to proper disposal sites.

9) USACE representatives and the debris-removal contractor will be on site to ensure that equipment operators work safely and effectively, and that the site is properly cleared.

10) It’s important to remember that the purpose of the Expedited Debris Removal initiative is to clear loose debris on the ground surface of residential private property. This does not include demolition of tornado-damaged structures. Also, this does not include the removal of slab foundations; basements or other in-ground structures such as pools or storm shelters; driveways, sidewalks or concrete steps.

11) If the structure is so damaged that little more than one wall is still standing before surface debris removal begins, the remaining wall likely will be taken as part of the debris. However, if more than one wall remains, those structural members will be considered for demolition at a later time.

12) When the site has been cleared, here’s what remains:

· Personal property within whatever remains of structures on your property. Again, debris removal under EDR covers what is loose and on the ground.

· Slab foundations, driveways, sidewalks, concrete steps – if they are not damaged and posing an immediate safety threat;

· Basements and in-ground foundations, pools or storm shelters;

· Temporary fencing, if needed, to mark any potential hazards remaining on the property for safety purposes – particularly below-ground openings;

· Trees and shrubs that are still firmly in the ground and haven’t been uprooted by the storm or debris-removal activities;

· Small, loose debris such as nails, broken glass and small branches. The EDR initiative is intended to clear the big stuff, not every fine piece of storm debris.

Reasonable care will be taken to clear your property in a manner that is appropriate for this kind of work. Before and after photographs of the property will be taken for long-term documentation.

Insurance Recoupment

The City of Joplin is required to recover insurance proceeds from you if there is coverage under your policy to pay for debris removal. Details on this requirement are set forth in Part 2 – ABCs of Tornado Debris Removal – which is available at Joplin City Hall or on the city’s website at www.joplinmo.org. This recoupment will take place at a later point in time so be sure to keep all insurance paperwork and correspondence.