June 1st marks the beginning of hurricane season, a time of year when many communities brace themselves for potential storms and the damage they bring.
Each year as hurricane season approaches, it’s essential for coastal communities to gear up and prepare for the potential onslaught of powerful storms. There are widely known precautions to prepare yourself for what’s to come, including storing food, boarding the windows, and staying indoors. But what about everything that happens after the danger has passed when you’re ready to return to your everyday life?
To get ahead of the hurricanes, we wanted to delve into some ways you can protect yourself after a storm. In today’s blog, we’ll shine a light on debris management—one of the first stages in storm recovery.
What Defines a Hurricane?
A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone: a storm that forms over tropical or subtropical waters. They become classified as hurricanes when the cyclone’s sustained winds exceed 74mph; from here, these major storms are given a category rating of 1 to 5 depending on the severity of the wind, with higher numbers denoting more severe storms. A storm does not need to make landfall to be counted as a hurricane.
Though most of the hurricanes that have impacted the United States have occurred on the eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico, a few have also developed in the Pacific Ocean, bringing hurricane-force winds to Hawaii three times and, in one instance, California.
How Frequent are Hurricanes?
The Atlantic coast of the United States has seen a total of 303 tropical cyclones between 1851 and 2022, impacting nineteen states.
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, seventy-two hurricanes have hit the east coast and states along the Gulf of Mexico since 1980. Historical data reveals that over sixty percent of hurricanes strike during August and September. The typical peak of hurricane season comes around the middle of September, but in the past thirty-five years, thirteen hurricanes have made landfall on the southeastern coast of the U.S. during October and November.
June and July aren’t exempt, either. There’s a good reason they’re included in the overall tally, after all: about 13% of named storms in the Atlantic from 1851 to 2020 occurred in June or July.
That doesn’t mean that tropical storms never hit outside of the designated hurricane season. As of September 2021, there have been 88 tropical cyclones that have occurred out of season. It’s also worth noting that some thunderstorms have the potential to produce hazardous wind speeds and dangerous hail. Many storms have been recorded with sustained winds of at least 58mph and wind gusts surpassing 100mph. Though these storms are smaller and shorter in duration, they’re equally capable of producing dangerous debris.
Hurricanes impacting the East Coast and states along the Gulf of Mexico since 1985.
What Do Hurricanes Leave Behind?
The fury of hurricanes, tropical storms, and even tropical depressions can leave a trail of destruction in their wake. These hazards can take many forms, including:
- Fallen trees that block roads or damage power lines;
- Hazardous materials that may be scattered throughout neighborhoods;
- Pollutants that spill into the air and soil;
- Damaged structures that can create unsafe working or living environments.
These are only some of the numerous kinds of debris that can be found in a storm’s wake. These hazards create a dangerous environment for the public and present significant hurdles to community recovery and reconstruction.
The Storm has Left Debris Everywhere! What Happens Next
When it comes to recovery, the top priority is ensuring public health by clearing roads for emergency services and travelers. Sometimes, the best avenue for clearing routes is pushing the debris to the shoulder to be picked up later. This is a temporary solution; eventually, the debris will need to be removed and disposed of properly.
It is the responsibility of the state or municipality that owns and maintains the road to ensure the debris is removed. This process can be profoundly expensive and time-consuming. As a result, the federal government has allocated funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to assist state and local governments with the cost of cleaning efforts.
These federal entities are where debris removal and monitoring expertise comes into play in the days following a major storm.
Typically, the owner of a property will enlist the help of a contractor to physically remove and dispose of the debris. To achieve maximum federal reimbursement, an engineer may be needed to monitor the process.
How is FEMA Involved?
All cleanup operations must be properly tracked according to the FEMA and FHWA guidelines to receive funding assistance. FEMA and FHWA guidelines are highly complex and require qualified individuals with this specific experience.
FEMA lists the types of debris categories as follows:
How to Dispose of Hurricane Debris
The most common debris from a storm are tree limbs and branches, which fall into the vegetative category. This type of debris is the simplest to dispose of because it can usually be recycled, stockpiled, buried, or burned. However, each state has unique criteria regarding the disposal of debris. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection must be contacted to determine which disposal method is best for a specific area.
The other forms of debris, such as hazardous waste and construction debris, are much trickier. These types don’t have a simple disposal method because they normally cannot be recycled or burned. Each item must be examined to determine the safest way to properly dispose of it.
Some debris categories, such as hazardous materials, require special procedures and experts to clean up the waste. For other debris categories, including construction, demolition, and white goods, the best solution may be a landfill.
Due to the serious risk to public health, extreme caution must be taken by the contractor, monitor, state, and owner to ensure all debris is taken somewhere it can be safely dealt with.
Tracking Hurricane Debris
Until recently, all debris quantity and disposal tracking was completed using paper ticketing systems. This required heavy data management and processing at the tail end of the operation. These methods left large margins for error and could result in forgotten debris, public health risks, and money for cleanup and reconstruction left on the table.
With the increased use of mobile devices and platforms, digital tracking and ticketing is replacing the paper trail. Thanks to new apps and programs, there have been considerable increases in efficiency and decreases in tail-end data processing, making information more readily accessible and searchable. To the end result? Roads and properties are cleared quickly and safely, securing more funding in the process.
Conclusion
Individuals impacted by disasters can be very focused on putting things back together, but often don’t know “who” is behind that recovery or what steps to take. It takes teamwork from many different professionals to restore communities after a storm.