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County manager details slow FEMA reimbursements and debris disputes in $11.4M public assistance application
Summary
Burke County's FEMA public assistance application for about $11.4 million remains largely unresolved; the county manager reported limited reimbursements, disputes over debris-trailer measurement rules, and turnover among FEMA project managers that has slowed large-project review.
Burke County officials told the Board of Commissioners on Nov. 17 that their FEMA public assistance application — roughly $11.4 million in requested reimbursement — has seen limited progress and only modest reimbursements so far.
The county manager outlined the long, technical process of FEMA’s public assistance program and said staff have been working with FEMA attorneys and state emergency management, as well as congressional staff, to move the application forward. He said the county has been reimbursed in isolated categories but that significant categories — particularly those tied to emergency operations and staff time (Category B) and some debris-related costs (Category A components) — remain outstanding.
A point of contention, the manager said, involves FEMA’s measurement of debris trailers and whether trailers are considered ‘‘90% full’’ for reimbursement calculations. That dispute sent Burke’s application back into extended review at FEMA’s large project review level, and the manager described frequent changes in FEMA’s local project management official (PDMG), which complicates consistent guidance.
The county has used a state preselected monitoring firm (Debris Tech) for debris operations and is currently awaiting legal and technical clarifications that the manager said will likely involve attorneys from FEMA and the monitoring company. He described the process as dynamic, with policy guidance changing multiple times over the last 14–15 months.
The manager told commissioners that at this stage the county has little to advance until FEMA and the monitoring company resolve the measurement issue and the PDMG role stabilizes. He reported a small reimbursement figure in category A (noted in the meeting as $12,000) and emphasized continued engagement with state and federal partners.
The board did not take additional action beyond accepting the update and directed staff to continue coordination with state and federal officials.
