A. Purpose
To provide guidance for assessing damages resulting from an emergency or disaster and requesting state or Federal Disaster Assistance.
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B. Scope
This ESF applies to all assessment activities in unincorporated Pierce County and its contracted cities and towns related to damage resulting from natural or technological emergencies or disasters.
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A. It is the policy of Pierce County that each county department develop the capability to ascertain after a disaster or other major event what has happened to departmental personnel, facilities, equipment, and service delivery capability, what can be done about the situation with existing resources, and what specific needs exist to maintain or re-establish agency capabilities or to respond to the situation. This information shall be relayed to the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) or the Pierce County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as soon as possible after an event.
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B. It is further the policy of Pierce County that each county department will document costs of emergency operations and damages to county property and facilities in anticipation of potential Federal reimbursement under established disaster relief and recovery programs.
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C. It is the policy of Pierce County to utilize the inspection guidance in ATC-20 for post earthquake and other disaster safety evaluations of buildings developed by the Applied Technology Council, to survey damaged buildings for safety.
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A. Emergency/Disaster Conditions and Hazards
Refer to the Pierce County Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Analysis.
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B. Planning Assumptions
1. There are two types of damage assessment:
a. urgent, for rapid assessment of what has happened county-wide to prioritize initial response activities and determine the immediate need for outside assistance; and
b. post-disaster, to document the magnitude of private and public damage for planning recovery activities and to justify requests for state and Federal assistance.
2. Initial reports may be fragmented and provide an incomplete picture of the extent and magnitude of damage to the community.
3. There may be a shortage of individuals qualified to assess the damage.
4. Cities, towns, special purpose districts, and public utilities will make detailed damage assessment reports to the county.
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A. Urgent Damage Assessment
1. The collection of damage information begins with the initial response phase to an event and continues long after the response is over. During and after any major event, it is very important that timely and accurate assessments of damages, remaining capabilities and needs are received by the EOC. This information is used to manage immediate response as well as short and long term recovery issues. Damage assessment is conducted separately from life saving and property protection operations.
2. As soon as possible after a disaster, information on immediate needs and damages to public facilities and private property must be compiled to assist in setting priorities in response and recovery operations and to determine if state or Federal assistance programs may be in order. Forms for documenting public and private property damage and impact shall be included in county department procedures, or distributed by the DEM as needed.
3. Other public agencies are requested to utilize their communications capabilities to receive additional damage and situation information and to report this to the DEM or the EOC.
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B. Post-disaster Inspection of Buildings
1. The Department of Planning and Land Services (PALS), Building Inspection Division is the lead division for the post-disaster inspection of buildings. This will be a cooperative effort with the county Fire Marshal, other departments and jurisdictions and with persons with engineering expertise from the private sector. Chain of command for this function is as follows:
a. County Building Official.
b. Assistant County Building Official.
c. Lead Building Inspector.
Any of the chain of command, when acting on behalf of the Building Official, has the authority of the Building Official in matters of building inspection operations and policy. In the absence of everyone in the chain of command, the Director or Assistant Director of PALS may appoint staff to carry out the immediate inspection of buildings.
2. The current priority for building inspections is as follows:
a. command and control facilities such as the primary or secondary EOCs.
b. facilities critical to public safety, such as communications and 9-1-1 centers, jails, hospitals, community shelters (schools) and utility providers.
c. secondary medical structures used for the care of the sick or injured.
d. public service facilities such as government offices and facilities.
e. commercial or residential structures the failure of which poses an imminent threat to the public.
f. others as directed as the situation warrants.
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C. Damage Assessment Teams (Local Damages)
1. It is important to obtain rapid assessments of victim needs and community impacts after a damaging disaster event. Assessment teams may be formed, conducted by the DEM, and deployed to the disaster area as quickly as possible to make initial assessments and report critical needs to the EOC. These teams are designed to support, not replace, existing efforts of other political subdivisions, such as cities and towns, fire districts, and school districts.
2. Damage Assessment Teams will focus primarily on immediate victim needs (such as water, food, medical and shelter) and impact to infrastructure (such as utilities, transportation and communications capabilities). They will be composed of civilian volunteers and public employees with appropriate expertise to make accurate assessments. Damage Assessment Teams will have a team leader who is designated by the DEM.
3. After the initial damage information is collected, Federal/state/local teams may be formed to verify the damage information. See Disaster Assistance Guide for Local Government and Disaster Assistance Manual for more information.
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D. Federal Disaster Assistance
1. After the emergency response phase is over, and if damages are, or appear to be, of the magnitude to be included in Federal Disaster Assistance, other assessment teams may be formed to assess the impacts of the event on the community. The formation of the teams and the coordination of what will be assessed and when is coordinated by the DEM. A local declaration is needed to begin this process.
2. Federal Assistance is divided into two basic categories: damage to private property and small businesses, which is called Individual Assistance, and damage to and costs incurred by public agencies and private, non-profit organizations which provide a like government service, which is called Public Assistance. Either one or both categories, may be requested in a major event.
3. After the assessment is done, a specific request for assistance is sent by the Governor, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the President. The President may approve or deny the request.
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A. Joint Primary Agencies
1. Pierce County Departments
a. Emergency Management
1. lead agency for determining what, in the county, will be assessed and when.
2. receive initial damage assessment data.
3. form damage assessment teams, if required, to obtain specific information from specific areas.
4. identify team members and designate team leaders.
5. identify areas where teams are to be assigned.
6. coordinate logistic support for team operations.
7. Damage Assessment Team Leaders
a. supervise the team.
b. conduct pre-deployment briefings.
c. coordinate with on-site Incident Commanders and other local persons in charge.
d. collect documentation of damages and team activities.
e. report assessment information to the EOC.
b. Planning and Land Services
1. lead agency for post-disaster damage assessments.
2. convene building inspectors at the Pierce County Annex.
3. coordinate with the EOC and the building department on setting assessment priorities.
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B. Support Agencies
1. Pierce County Departments
a. immediately after a major event occurs, assess what has happened to county personnel, equipment and facilities, what can be done about it with existing resources, and what is needed to restore operations or to respond to the situation.
b. report disaster damages and situation information to the DEM or to the EOC.
c. keep complete records of damages and expenditures on appropriate forms.
d. participate as requested on Damage Assessment Teams to review and document community impacts for local assessment purposes or for seeking Federal Disaster Assistance.
2. Volunteer Organizations
support damage assessment activities.
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