HANDBOOK FOR DISASTER ASSISTANCE
IV. DAMAGE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
One of the most important elements of a county's response to an emergency or disaster is damage assessment. This process is essential in determining what happened, what the effects are, which areas were hardest hit, what situations must be given priority and what types of assistance are needed (e.g., local, state, or federal). Emergency response can be more effective, equipment and personnel can be better used, and help can be provide quicker if a thorough damage assessment is performed.
The purpose of this section is to aid in understanding the process of assessing damages.
A. Eligible Types of Assistance
1. Public Assistance
"Public damages" can include any damage incurred by a structure or facility which is owned by a public or eligible private non-profit entity. This could include roads, bridges, buildings, utilities, etc.. There are seven basic categories of eligible damage:
Category A - Debris Clearance
This category includes all storm induced debris on non-federal public waterways, other public property and private property when removal is legally undertaken by local government forces. It can also cover the cost of demolition of public structures if those structures were made unsafe by the disaster.
Category B - Emergency Protective Measures
This category addresses the provision of appropriate emergency measures designed to protect life, safety, property and health (i.e., barricades, sand bags, and safety personnel).
Category C - Road System
This category addresses damages to non-federal roads, bridges, streets, culverts, and traffic control devices.
Category D - Water Control Facilities
Eligible damages under this category include costs to repair or replace dikes, dams, drainage channels, irrigation works and levees.
Category E - Building and Equipment
Eligible damages under this category include costs to repair public buildings and equipment, supplies/inventories that were damaged, and transportation systems such as public transit systems.
Category F - Public Utility Systems
Under this category, assistance is available for damaged water systems, landfills, sanitary sewerage, storm drainage systems, and light/power facilities.
Category G - Other
The "Other" category includes parks and recreational facilities, or any other public facility damages that do not reasonably fit in one of the other six categories.
2. Individual Assistance
The purpose of individual damage assessment is to determine the extent to which individuals and private businesses have been impacted by the disaster. The two basic categories of eligible individual damage include:
a. Damage to Homes
A person whose primary residence has been damaged due to a disaster may qualify for various forms of disaster assistance. When damage assessors go into the field, they estimate the degree of damage to the home, evaluate the victim's insurance coverage and determine the habitability. Form B is used by the damage assessment teams in the field to quantify the damage.
b. Damage to Businesses
Disaster damaged businesses and their employees are eligible for certain individual assistance programs. Form C is used to quantify business damage, as well as make a preliminary determination of the impact of the damage on the community. Loss of a business results in lost jobs, income, etc. to the individual owner and employees.
B. Damage Assessment Teams
To conduct an accurate damage assessment, local governments must have capable Damage Assessment Teams. These teams should be identified and trained in advance of the disaster so they will be prepared when needed. Team members may be selected from the following groups:
City and County Engineers
Utility Company Engineers
Police and Fire Officials
Property Appraisers
Building Inspectors
County Agricultural Extension Agents
County Health Officials
Voluntary Agency Officials
Real Estate Appraisers
Insurance Agency Representatives
The composition of the Damage Assessment Teams will vary depending on the severity, type of damage, and the availability of personnel. Each team should have a team leader who makes sure the team has the proper forms, maps with identified areas marked and transportation. Coordination of the teams is normally the responsibility of the county emergency management office.
During a joint state/FEMA assessment, the county should provide a team member to assist state and federal Damage Assessment Team members throughout the assessment.
The Damage Assessment Teams should survey the most severely impacted areas of the community first, marking the location of each damaged area on the map. The address of each damaged structure should be entered on the proper damage assessment form.
C. Public Damage Assessment Forms
A public damage assessment is performed in the field; the damage sustained to each individual site and a dollar estimate is recorded on Form A.
D. Individual Damage Assessment Forms
A damage assessment to quantify individual and business losses is different from a public damage assessment. By using Forms B and C, assessors are able to document the extent of damage to individual homes, businesses and jobs, but less emphasis is placed on determining the exact dollar value of the losses.
