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Commission approves Tetra Tech task order for Hurricane Helene recovery; long‑term recovery group formed
Summary
The commission approved a task order with Tetra Tech for disaster recovery management and endorsed establishment of a long‑term recovery group to coordinate nonprofit and faith‑based recovery efforts. Staff said many FEMA programs and the Stafford Act will guide recovery and mitigation work.
County staff presented a task order with Tetra Tech to support Hurricane Helene recovery, including damage assessment, FEMA Public Assistance coordination, grant and procurement compliance, and program management. Allison McCleary of Tetra Tech described the firm’s national recovery experience, noted the applicability of FEMA Public Assistance and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds, and emphasized compliance to reduce risk of later clawbacks.
McCleary said the task order work—initial damage scoping, project development and program management—qualifies for FEMA‑reimbursable management costs and therefore can be reimbursed at federal rates under program rules. She described the process of documenting damages early, maximizing insurance and other benefits before FEMA funding, and pursuing mitigation projects using Hazard Mitigation Grant Program dollars derived from a federal allocation tied to total disaster costs.
Chief Burton introduced Christopher Hanford, executive board member of the Greater Augusta Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG). Hanford described the LTRG’s plan to stand up a “communication as a service” help desk and a crisis management app to coordinate nonprofit and faith‑based responses, triage requests and track assistance for future funding and reporting.
Commissioners unanimously approved the task order and accepted the LTRG presentation. Administrator Allen said the county will fund initial activities from the general fund balance and seek FEMA reimbursement and other grant matches where applicable. No specific dollar amount for the task order was included in the committee packet at the time of the presentation; staff said the initial task order is reimbursable under FEMA management cost allowances and further budget detail will be provided in follow‑up materials.
Staffers stressed the long timeline for federal disaster funding and the value of early, complete documentation. McCleary said Tetra Tech will work to expedite FEMA workflows when possible and seek to maximize federal hazard mitigation dollars for hardening infrastructure.
