Closeout Process Begins For New Jersey Public Assistance Projects

LINCROFT, N.J. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has closed its first Public Assistance projects undertaken in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

The first two large projects FEMA and the State of New Jersey closed were debris removal in Atlantic County, which was federally obligated for $169,937.65, and Category B emergency protective measures in Lower Township, Cape May County, for $40,067.20. Category B can consist of anything safety-related, from temporary traffic signs and barricades to sandbagging, deploying police and fire crews and emergency construction and/or demolition.

The State of New Jersey has submitted 63 large projects to FEMA Public Assistance that are ready to be closed. The closeout process begins when a project is funded and completed. The applicant must certify to the state that the work is finished and all of the allocated money was spent. Small projects are often bundled together under one applicant and can be closed as a group when they are all complete. Large projects must be closed individually. Work has started on 20, said Chris Baggot, FEMA Public Assistance Task Force Leader.

More than $1.15 billion in Public Assistance grants have been obligated in New Jersey since Hurricane Sandy struck in October 2012. There have been 1,724 applicants for Public Assistance. The Public Assistance FAQ at www.fema.gov defines a large project as any incident with damage costs greater than a predetermined amount that is recalculated every fiscal year. As of February 26, 2014, the threshold was raised from $68,500 to $120,000 because of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013. Of the estimated 5,146 Public Assistance projects in the system in New Jersey, 1,585 are considered large projects.

Through the Public Assistance program, FEMA grants state governments money to reimburse municipalities, county governments and eligible private nonprofit agencies for the repair or replacement of damaged roads and bridges, water-control facilities, public buildings and their contents, publicly owned utilities, and parks and recreation areas. It also includes funds for emergency services and eligible debris-removal costs related to the disaster. FEMA reimbursed these applicants 90 percent of the eligible cost.

“We have been able to accelerate the process to get to the point where we can close out projects and get people their money,” Baggot said.

After all project work is certified as complete, the Final Inspection Report (FIR) is initiated. Supporting documents are audited and added to the report, and amendments may be written after cost overages and/or shortfalls are reconciled. After the report is reviewed by the applicant and grantee, it is entered into the Emergency Management Mission Integrated Environment (EMMIE) grant tracking program. The project is then closed if the grantee (in this case, the state) requests it.

“If a project isn’t closed, we’re usually waiting for additional data from the applicants if the work has at least been completed,” Baggot said.

More than $762 million has been obligated for emergency projects, including debris removal and emergency protective measures, while permanent repairs to roads, bridges, water control facilities, utilities and buildings, have cost $380.5 million.

“Our goal is to have the large projects finished in two years,” Baggot said.

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 

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Closeout Process Begins For New Jersey Public Assistance Projects

Oceanport’s Chris Baggot: From Sandy Survivor to Sandy Recovery Coordinator

LINCROFT, N.J. — As Deputy Coordinator of the Oceanport, N.J. Office of Emergency Management, Chris Baggot has weathered a lot of storms.

But nothing so profoundly altered the landscape of his community like Hurricane Sandy.

The 3.7 square mile town on the Shrewsbury River was devastated by the storm. Five hundred of the 2000 homes in this close-knit community were substantially damaged or destroyed. Oceanport also lost its police station, its borough hall, its ambulance squad building, its library and its courthouse.

Some 18 months after the Oct. 29, 2012 hurricane, 71 families were still unable to return home.

The Baggot family is among them. The Baggots have been renting a one-bedroom apartment in the nearby community of Eatontown while they await the demolition and reconstruction of their home on Blackberry Bay.

While they were approved for an RREM grant of $150,000 to underwrite the rebuilding, a rough winter delayed the start of construction on their replacement home. Once the weather improves and contractors break ground, it will be another six to nine months before Chris, his wife, Wendy, and college-age son, Zachary, will be able to enjoy life in Oceanport once again.

“I’m a Sandy survivor. We don’t use the word ‘victim,’’’ he says.

He carries A picture of Chris BaggottChris Baggot: From Sandy Survivor to Sandy Recovery Coordinatorthat perspective into his role at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s New Jersey Sandy Recovery Office, where he recently became a CORE employee after joining FEMA as a Local Hire in December of 2012.

It was his second time assisting his fellow New Jerseyans as a FEMA employee:  Baggot was also recruited as a Local Hire in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in 2011.

Hired initially as a project specialist for Public Assistance, Baggot moved on to become a Cost Estimating Format reviewer, Quality Assurance lead, Operations task force lead and finally, CORE Operations Task Force Lead.

In that capacity, he explains, “I oversee the life cycle of a Public Assistance project from the writing stage all the way through to obligation.”

Baggot’s personal experience with the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy has underlined his understanding of the importance of the FEMA mission in helping communities rebuild and become more resilient.

“It sure is nice when people say to you, ‘Look, we need this; we need that,’ and you can give it to them in a reasonable way,” says Baggot, “and it’s nice when you can manage expectations when people ask for the moon and stars. That’s not really what we’re there to provide. We’re there to get them back to pre-disaster conditions.”

He has plenty of praise for his colleagues at FEMA, who came here in the immediate aftermath of the storm to help the hard-hit residents of New Jersey get back on their feet.

“The FEMA people that I’ve had the opportunity to work with have really been great.” He’s also enjoyed observing their surprise at how different New Jersey is from its “What exit?” stereotype.

“They talk about how beautiful it is – they thought it was all blacktop,” Baggot says with a laugh.

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications

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Oceanport’s Chris Baggot: From Sandy Survivor to Sandy Recovery Coordinator