Our team is currently supporting French Broad as they recover from the destruction left in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene. As such, EM Partners will handle the management and administration of all related claims for the FEMA PA program. Damage was extensive across the cooperative’s service area, which encompasses four counties in North Carolina and two in Tennessee. Thousands of miles of conduit, conductor, broadband communication lines, and poles were destroyed. The cooperative also operates a hydroelectric plant that was completely inundated, where rushing floodwaters deposited approximately 10,000 cubic yards of flood-borne debris and trees in the dam spillway.
EM Partners team members are assisting with the identification of all damage and scopes of work for several funding requests: Category A (debris removal), Category B (a $14M expedited project for emergency power and communications restoration), Category D (dam repairs), along with two Category F projects for permanent system repairs and the repair/replacement of the Capitola Dam and hydroelectric plant. We anticipate supporting French Broad request approximately $60M in eligible FEMA PA claims on this disaster, to include hazard mitigation grants.
EM Partners team members are formulating all projects and amendments, assembling, compiling, and validating all data related to force account labor, equipment usage, material purchases, mutual aid assistance, and contract services. Team members also coordinate with State and Federal resources (NCDPS, NEPA, NCDEQ, USACE, and NRCS) related to damage and debris along and in waterways, addressing issues related to floodplain management and environmental and historical preservation. All projects will be submitted to the FEMA Grants Portal on the client’s behalf. Of note is a special project that will be formulated to request reimbursement of interest on emergency loans required to finance power restoration after the widespread damage caused by the storm.
EM Partners will also manage the final reimbursement process with NC Emergency Management by submitting reimbursement requests and reconciling payments against obligated funding dollars.