	Introduction

Every year, disasters such as wildfires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, and winter storms affect American communities. For example, under flooding conditions, household hazardous waste or sewage may contaminate otherwise benign personal property or building materials, such as drywall or carpeting. This report provides an overview of federal and state waste management requirements relevant to debris removal, as well as the challenges that can make it difficult for communities to manage debris quickly and safely. A number of federal agencies are authorized to support communities with disaster debris removal. This report focuses on support provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Each agency that provides debris removal support may do so under a number of different conditions or statutory authorities. A discussion of those various conditions or authorities is beyond the scope of this report. Generally, the overwhelming majority of disaster debris involves wastes regulated under Subtitle D. While not specifically defined in federal law, the term disaster debris generally refers to waste materials created by or in the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster, such as:
construction and demolition (C&D) waste from destroyed buildings; vegetative debris, soils, and sediment; rotting materials, such as food or dead animals (e.g., pets or livestock); damaged vehicles, consumer appliances, and electronic devices; and hazardous chemicals or products, including those released from commercial, industrial, agricultural, or residential sites. Keys Challenges with Managing Disaster Debris

After a disaster, states generally attempt to manage disaster debris in a way that limits short- and long-term threats to public health and safety or to the environment. Volume

One of the greatest challenges facing a community recovering from a disaster is the overwhelming volume of debris generated. Debris may be inextricably mixed with or contaminated by harmful or hazardous constituents. Agency Roles in Supporting Debris Removal

		Federal Agency Roles

Federal debris removal assistance is most commonly provided in accordance with provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act ( P.L. 93-288 , as amended, the Stafford Act). Federal agencies may provide technical or other forms of assistance to communities affected by a disaster under authorities other than those provided in the Stafford Act. Second, it may approve direct federal assistance to an applicant (state or local government) that does not have the capability to respond to a presidentially declared disaster. Federal funding for disaster-related debris removal is coordinated and provided by FEMA primarily through its Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program. With respect to debris removal, the Corps is authorized to:
develop projects to collect and remove drift and debris from federally maintained commercial harbors and land and water immediately adjacent to those areas, remove sunken vessels or other obstructions from navigable waterways under emergency conditions, and assist with debris removal from flood control works as necessary to protect human life and improved property or to help communities recover from the effects of disasters. Also, EPA may be mission assigned activities to ensure that hazardous wastes or materials are managed properly.
Every year, communities in the United States are affected by disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, floods, wildfires, and winter storms. After a disaster, when a region turns its attention to rebuilding, one of the greatest challenges often involves properly managing disaster-related debris.
Disaster debris typically includes soils and sediments, vegetation (trees, limbs, shrubs), municipal solid waste (common household garbage, personal belongings), construction and demolition debris (in some instances, entire residential structures and all their contents), vehicles, food waste, "white goods" (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners), and household hazardous waste(cleaning agents, pesticides, pool chemicals). Each type of waste may contain or be contaminated with toxic or hazardous constituents.
In the short term, debris removal is necessary to facilitate the recovery of a geographic area. In the long term, the methods by which these wastes are managed requires proper consideration to ensure that their management (e.g., by landfilling) will not pose future threats to human health or the environment.
Under a number of different conditions and authorities, several agencies may provide debris removal assistance to communities affected by a disaster. For example, under certain conditions, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funding for disaster debris removal and/or approves direct federal assistance to certain entities that do not have the capability to respond to a disaster. Also, under certain conditions, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may assist communities with debris removal activities. For example, the Corps may perform right-of-way clearance, curbside waste pickup, private property debris removal, and property demolition, and EPA may help coordinate the collection and management of contaminated debris and household hazardous wastes.
This report focuses on the requirements applicable to disaster debris management and the challenges that communities face when attempting to manage it both quickly and safely. This report also provides an overview of the types of support provided by FEMA, the Corps, and EPA with respect to disaster debris removal. A discussion of the programs or statutory authorities under which that support may be provided is beyond the scope of this report. There are a number of conditions under which federal agencies may support communities with disaster debris removal. With respect to FEMA's involvement in debris removal assistance, this report focuses on support that may be provided after the President declares the incident to involve a "major disaster" under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act, P.L. 93-288, as amended).