About Us

Tornado…  Earthquake…  Fire…  Hurricane…  Terrorist Attack…  Mudslide…

There is almost no end to the list of events that could wreak havoc on your city, town, community, or district.  Are you prepared for a Federal Disaster?  Do you know what to do, what to expect? Where do you turn for help?  The Bay St. Louis – Waveland School District has learned valuable, first hand lessons and those lessons could well be your saving grace. Let us share these insights with you and your staff with this important seminar.

We're available for long-term consultation to help you navigate through FEMA regulations and procedures.

If your disaster is declared federal, you will automatically become eligible for public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  Don’t get too excited – it is not free and there are more strings attached than you can imagine.At our kick off meeting, FEMA did not tell us they would ignore their own regulations or that we could challenge their official Project Worksheets if we disagreed.  They failed to mention that there would be rotating teams of people to assess, then reassess the work of the previous teams. This created confusion and hundreds of man hours of work for us, the applicant, the one who needed help.  They did not bother to explain the importance of a Project Worksheet - a document filled with critical details that do matter.  Advice:  Start on day 1 (prior to your kick off meeting) and save every scrap of paper. Document as much as you can. Get organized.

The Stafford Act authorizes FEMA to provide public assistance.  Contracts and purchases are questioned and scrutinized.  Auditors from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) conduct audits to make sure purchases and contracts are reasonable in cost and properly executed.  Two Acts, two flaws:  The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and Federal Acquisition Regulations.  These laws limit your contract authority without competitive bidding to 72 hours after a disaster.  When damages are beyond repair within the time frame of 72 hours, you must determine the work required and open the process to public bidding.  Reopening schools under such constraints becomes an agonizingly slow process.  FEMA and the OIG will question every detail of every contract, every bid, every purchase, every move that was made after the disaster.  In addition, if something is done that has not been written on a Project Worksheet and approved as an eligible expense, you will pay the cost.

In most cases, you do not have time to prepare for a disaster – it will arrive unannounced.  This makes preparation much more critical.  The following tips will make your life easier if done in advance:

• Back up financial and student data on a regular basis and make sure there is a back up off site, preferably another town, another state, another region.
• Have contact numbers for your Governor, Senators, and Congressmen.  They will listen and will help.  Store these numbers in multiple places.
• Award pre-disaster contracts that will address restoration and remediation, tree debris and removal, and general repairs.  The contractors will need to guarantee they will mobilize and arrive shortly after the disaster.  The contracts should be reviewed annually with the contractor.  Contractors interested in going into a pre-disaster contract with you should not charge a fee.  It cost them nothing to be on stand by.  They are paid only when mobilized during the disaster upon your request.
• Collect multiple methods for contacting Board Members and personnel.  If luck is on your side, one of these links will be successful.
• Personal Observations
  • Take care of yourself.
  • Keep Board Members informed.
  • Create a support system.
  • Do not be pressured by folks wanting immediate decisions. 
  • Do not let the FEMA tag team wear you down.
  • Take one day at a time.