11-10-12 Daily Update

Debris Removal Task Force

1300 Saturday November 10, 2012

Debris Removal Task Force 1500 Debris Removal meeting was held Friday, Nov 9, 2012.  Meeting was well attended (approximately 30 personnel) from multiple agency representatives including US Army Corp of Engineers, US Navy, FEMA, NY City Office of Emergency Management, NY State Office of Emergency Management, NY City Mayor’s Office, NYCDOT, DOD, NYS Parks, NYSDEC, EPA, BIC, ECC and DSNY.

The meeting focused on three primary topics: needs, accomplishments and future operations. 

OBJECTIVES:

1.      Ensure public health and safety by removing debris from public rights of ways and from temporary waste storage areas.
2.      Coordinate with agencies involved to ensure common priority setting and effective utilization of responders and equipment.
3.      Maintain effectiveness of operations and assess need to adjust as transition to US Army Corp of Engineers evolves.
4.      Track and communicate Task Force accomplishments. 
5.      Manage transition to US Army Corps of Engineers operations for large scale debris removal operations.

ISSUES:

1.      Army Corps of Engineers and ECC

·         Equipment in the Rockaways was sent to Cedar Grove to move debris to landfill

·         TSS-H assets are working at Fresh Kills and hauling out of there

·         Anticipate having crane at Fresh Kills with the crane/barge operation running Sunday

·         In the process of subcontracting 8 barges. Operation moving forward Sat.

·         Sounding harbor Saturday for freeboard and displacement. Will likely measure hauls in tons.

·         Loma will operate crane. Roccelli will feed the crane

·         Took over 50 loads TSS-H from NYC last night

·         Will not give up any assets moving debris out of Father Cap.

·         USACE wants to take over DOT’s 70 long haul trucks

·         ECC will pursue incinerator option and getting chips to biomass operator in Pennsylvania if they can haul it.

·         Will be in Breezy today with small crews due to smaller street size and will coordinate with DSNY crews there. 

Progress:

                                                        i.            1500 cubic yards moved Thursday, 1840 cubic yards moved by 1500 Friday and climbing.

                                                      ii.            Have 107 pieces of ROWR equipment certified and on the ground today, all in Queens.

                                                    iii.            Have 88 pieces of long haul equipment certified and operational. 52 more being certified.  Will have 140 total. Excludes Tully’s 70 but ready to pick those up.

                                                    iv.            Crane arrived 11:30 Saturday. Loma prepping area for crane

2.      DSNY collection work continues to focus on reducing TSS

·         Local contracts ended at midnight Friday night. Does not include Tully at Riis Park or the Navy contract at Fresh Kills.

·         DSNY will continue to operate until Nov 14 when ECC takes over completely.

·         Barges are in place at Fresh Kills. The lawyers are working on a lease with ECC. Waiting on sounding results from USACE Saturday

·         Goal is to reduce Father Cap & Fresh Kills first, then Cedar Grove, ending up with Fresh Kills and Riis Park as the only sites.

·         Ramping up operation to reduce TSS to handle expected increase from this weekend community events.

Progress:

                                                        i.            Moved 18701 tons of storm debris Friday; 286 loads of woody debris

3.      Sand remains an issue

·         What to do with right of way areas with sand?

·         What to do with clean sand?

·         What to do with sand with debris?

·         What to do with contaminated sand?

·         Will FEMA pay for sand removal, remediation and respreading?

·         FEMA said continue with Parks contract, but look to get fixed price per cubic yard going forward

·         No DSNY assets should be moving sand.

Progress

                                                        i.            NYC Parks through a NYC EDC contracting mechanism has hired Skanska to remove sand from Shorefront Pkwy in Rockaways from Beach 73^rd Street to Beach 108 Street.

                                                      ii.            Parks has identified a sand staging area at Beach 52^nd to Beach 54^th (old basketball courts).

                                                    iii.            NY DEC has agreed all clean sand can be brought back to beach.

                                                    iv.            Parks contractor Skanska has moved 14,000 cubic yards of sand so far and believe emergency contract NTE $1 million will allow them to move 90,000 total cubic yards.  Costs are $11 per cubic yard.

4.      NY DOT and Parks were busy due to storm

·         Another 5000 service requests for tree removal

·         Much being chipped and moved out at night.  Meeting regulations re: longhorn beetle

·         Have an offer from Pennsylvania to take the chips for biomass fuel. Will follow through.

Progress:

                                                        i.            10 DOT crews out in force Friday

5.      ECC & USACE reporting to Mayor’s office

·         DSNY will monitor and report inbound hauls; ECC will monitor and report outbound hauls to landfills - Grows & Seneca Meadows.

Progress:

                                                        i.            ECC, USACE and DSNY will compare numbers of what’s at each TSS  and how much is coming in and out each day.

                                                      ii.            Results will be compiled by ECC for Mayor’s office – given to Mike Flowers by 1500 today

6.      Department of Environmental Protection finding hazmat

·         Finding waste oil drums in private homes.

Progress:

                                                        i.            DEC will provide flyer for homeowners.

7.      Community turning out to clean up this weekend

·         Several areas will have large numbers of people all weekend.

·         Priority is clearing space at TSS to make room for expected extra debris load

Progress:

                                                        i.            Trying to get dedicated lane around volunteer effort for debris removal

                                                      ii.            DSNY will be on the ground working around volunteer outreach so they have visibility.

                                                    iii.            Community affairs is watching

                                                    iv.            Police Department is adding 40 agencts traffic control

8.      PPDR process moving

·         Trying to work on this from the NYC side using standing processes

·         Need to get list of where the cars and boats are so they can tell the vendors where to go.

·         Staten Island is already massing cars in one spot so can start hauling

·         Mayor’s office would like an answer sheet with what to tell the public when they call

·         Boats are more complicated. Expect questions like can they go onto someone else’s property to get their boat.

·         Need to resolve this in next few days so they don’t block equipment

Progress:

                                                        i.            New task order #4 is coming for PPDR. No Task Order yet Friday

                                                      ii.            Mayor’s office is looking into “property room” vendors: might have one, looking for more.

FUTURE:

·         There will be an Interagency Planning meeting at 1500 each day, at the same location

·         NIMO team will continue to assist the Task Force in meeting objectives. Last day Sunday.

·         Continuing transfer of contracts and hauling to Army Corps of Engineers