Debris Management Handbook for State and Local DOTs and Departments of Public Works. National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 781.

摘要

Much of the debris from any incidentwhether a traffic incident, collapse of aging infrastructure, or major disasters such as a hurricane or tornadofalls on or is pushed onto roads. These roads must be cleared rapidly because they are part of the planned network of emergency routes to bring in first responders, as well as to provide the necessary mobility to get the injured to appropriate medical care or to shelters. In the aftermath of an incident, it is essential to restore the transportation system and other public utilities as quickly as possible. This involves clearing debris and repairing, replacing, or restoring critical transportation infrastructure. Local and state involvement in debris management varies. During most incidents with limited scope, local and state departments of transportation (DOTs) or public works departments are financially responsible for physically clearing debris from roads. However, during catastrophic events with large quantities of debris that must be removed, the federal government supports state and local efforts in clearing debris, including what lies in the transportation rights of way. To effectively work with federal programs, state and local DOTs need to be better preparedin terms of training, resources, and expertiseto understand their role in debris clearance and to potentially serve as the lead for debris management. In order for states to succeed, they must equip those that do debris removal for routine incidentsoften the public works departmentswith the tools necessary to produce a comprehensive debris management plan that, for example, meets the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements for reimbursement and federal assistance as outlined in the FEMA Catastrophic Planning Initiative and the National Response Framework. Numerous lessons learned and good practices exist in a variety of forms from a variety of groups, including how to hire contractors for large debris clearance efforts, how to use existing governmental resources to a localitys best advantage, how to pay for and get reimbursed for debris removal efforts, and so on. There is a need for this body of knowledge to be consolidated and presented in one source to improve state and local DOT capacities to manage debris removal for small through larger incidents and as a basis for training programs.