Process for Debris Removal & Demolition on Private Property Announced

For release Friday, March 17, 2006

Process for Debris Removal & Demolition on Private Property Announced

Parish President Kevin Davis announced this morning that a process will open on March 20^th for citizens of unincorporated St. Tammany Parish to apply to FEMA for the removal of structures that have been damaged by Hurricane Katrina and that also present an immediate threat to public health and safety.

To be eligible for FEMA assistance, the debris removal must meet one of the following criteria:

Eliminate immediate threats to lives, public health and safety
Eliminate immediate threats of significant damage to improved public or private property

St. Tammany Parish has hired Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. (CDM) to expedite this process for residents in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish. CDM will open temporary Demolition Offices on Monday, March 20^th and stay open until April 21^st. Office hours are 11:00 AM until 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday and 8:00 AM to Noon on Saturdays at the following locations:

Northshore Harbor Center                    St. Tammany Parish Administrative Complex
                                                                 Council Chambers lobby
100 Harbor Center Blvd.                       21490 Koop Drive
Slidell, Louisiana 70461                      Mandeville, LA 70471

To begin this process, homeowners must sign a Right of Entry Form. Forms will be available Monday, March 20^th at the temporary Demolition Offices, at St. Tammany Parish libraries, and on line at http://www.stpgov.org/eoc/right_of_entry.html . The form must be returned to one of the temporary demolition offices or mailed to St. Tammany Parish Private Property Debris Removal Program
c/o CDM, P.O. Box 1348, Slidell, LA 70459-1348. St. Tammany Parish government and its contractor, CDM, are not responsible for any late, or non-delivered, mail.

If you return your application in person, bring the following information with you, if available, to expedite your application processing:

Proof of ownership – Act of Sale
All insurance documentation, including flood insurance
Any pictures or other evidence of damages to property

Property owners will complete a right of entry form, and a hold-harmless agreement. Property owners must confirm that the property is not inhabited, and indicate whether any personal property that requires removal prior to demolition is on-site. If the property owner does not have insurance, the owner will be required to complete a notarized affidavit indicating that the property is not insured.

After the Right of Entry form and necessary documents have been received, applications will be reviewed by FEMA to determine your eligibility for this program. St. Tammany Parish, and/or its contractor, does not make this determination. This decision is made solely by FEMA.

Demolition activity will be limited to above-ground structures. The removal will not include concrete slabs, driveways and footings. FEMA will determine if any trees or vegetative debris constitute an immediate threat to lives, public health, safety or property.

For more information about the Private Property Debris Removal, you may call 898-3080 beginning March 20^th. This line will be answered from 8AM to 8PM, M-F and 8AM to Noon on Saturdays. If this line is busy, please call back. A high call volume is expected in the first weeks of the program.

If you live in a municipality, contact your city or town for information about your specific city.

Here are contact numbers and web addresses for some municipalities:
City of Slidell, 646-4330, www.slidell.la.us
City of Mandeville, 626-3144, www.cityofmandeville.org
City of Covington, 892-1873

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