Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tangipahoa Parish to return to Debris Tech for storm debris monitoring; parish officials briefed on FEMA review
Summary
Parish President Robbie Miller told the Tangipahoa Parish Council the parish will re-engage Debris Tech for debris monitoring and described a recent FEMA review that may change recovery match rules and management structures, including National Guard roles.
Parish President Robbie Miller told the Tangipahoa Parish Council on July 14 that Tangipahoa Parish will return to Debris Tech as its debris monitoring contractor and that the parish’s selection committee rated that firm highest among proposals.
Miller said the committee “graded those proposals and Debris Tech graded better again,” and described debris monitoring as a FEMA-required function to verify trucks and loads during post-storm operations. He said monitoring involves oversight at landfill sites and other verification steps to ensure contractors are paid only for work actually performed.
Miller also briefed the council on a federal FEMA review held in New Orleans last week, saying governors and parish presidents discussed possible changes to how FEMA is structured and how the agency coordinates with state and local governments. He said one recurring topic was whether money jurisdictions have already spent on mitigation or emergency work could count toward a jurisdiction’s required match for federal assistance — an example he cited was an $8 million rock jetty wall.
“Those points seem to be taken and understood,” Miller said of presentations by parish presidents and emergency managers. He named Archie Chasson as presenting for the parish presidents and Dawson Prine as speaking for statewide emergency managers, adding that both “did a phenomenal job.”
Miller said the review also touched on National Guard involvement in disaster response and that the Guard’s general in charge for the state — identified in the meeting as General Jason Mafous — had centralized some midlevel management positions. Miller characterized those changes as aimed at creating administrative savings while keeping operational response in place.
Miller did not report any formal action or vote on the debris-monitoring contract at the July 14 meeting; he described the update as information for the council. He said the parish expects continued attention this hurricane season on both response operations and on streamlining and speeding federal recovery and reimbursement processes.
The council did not take a formal vote on FEMA policy or on changes to National Guard roles during the meeting.
