Florida experienced an unprecedented four hurricanes during the 2004 hurricane season. Each storm represented unique challenges for the communities most affected. Three of the four hurricanes came through Central Florida and reaped havoc on Orlando and the surrounding community’s infrastructure. Barnes, Ferland and Associates, Inc. (BFA) was retained by the City of Longwood to provide inspection and monitoring services for the debris removal throughout the City as well as provide an on site monitor at the main staging area. As part of a continuing contract with the City on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), BFA provided project management and a rotation of staff members for the daily monitoring of the cleanup process.

BFA was responsible for monitoring all debris collection; recording all ineligible debris by daily reporting and taking a GPS reading; recording all ineligible debris by taking photos, recording the GPS readings at the beginning and ending of the day, and recording and issuing loading and deliver tickets to the trucks on all daily reports. BFA was also responsible for keeping the dump site monitor informed of any ineligible debris hauled to the dump site by contacting the monitor and reporting the truck and ticket numbers and amount of ineligible debris. BFA also had to work with the FEMA supervisor to monitor and record debris delivery quantities on the ticket. The project consisted of two tasks; field monitoring and staging area monitoring.

Field Monitoring consisted of daily monitoring of the clean up process, which included the use of street maps zoned into four subzones. Each day the field staff monitored the number of truck loads and travel time for the trucks and followed the street maps to conduct the clean up process street by street. After each truck was loaded, the monitor prepared load tickets for truck, with load capacity, and departing times at each site. FEMA stipulated that no tree debris longer than two feet or larger than one inch in diameter should remain on any street after the clean-up process, additionally our field monitors ensured that every street had been swept cleaned with blowers. Each truck at the site had a ticket departure time from the loading site. There were approximately 12 truck crews, each truck crew worked with specific field monitors who were responsible for different street zones from 7 am – 7 pm each day.