Reconstruction process has been unusually difficult, consultant says
The Spruce Pine Town Council heard an update on disaster recovery at a recent meeting.
Tyson Hackenberg of Hunt Guillot & Associates said that his project-management firm has dealt with federal reimbursement for disasters in the past, but that he has found communicating with federal agencies during the Hurricane Helene (downgraded to a tropical storm after slowing down over land) recovery unusually challenging.
“I’m proud to serve as vice president of that company (Hunt Guillot) in charge of the FEMA public assistance practice, and I’ve been doing this for quite some time,” Hackenberg said. “We appreciate the council’s faith in our company, in our service. … This has certainly been one of the most challenging FEMA that we have dealt with in many years.”
Hackenberg said that he has been in the disaster-recovery business since Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast 20 years ago. Normally, he said, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been more cooperative than it has been in the past year.
“This is probably the first time we’ve seen FEMA behave in a very aggressive (way), and without regard for their policies and procedures that they’ve taken so many years to get right. But I think we’re turning a corner finally with them,” Hackenberg said.
Hackenberg went on to say that current FEMA staff sometimes does not seem to be well-versed in FEMA regulations and policies.
“From the very beginning, the staff at FEMA was lacking the level of experience that we would normally see for people on the front line of a disaster, and so we spent a lot of time working with them to help them understand how their rules and regulations apply to the town of Spruce Pine,” he said.
However, Hackenberg said that most of the miscommunication problems with FEMA have been resolved. The important thing, he said, is to make sure there is a commitment to reimburse the town for expenses before committing to expensive projects.
“We need to understand what FEMA is going to agree to. Are they going to agree that we get to put that wastewater treatment plant in a more resilient location up on the hill?” he said. “We want that in writing; we want that firm.”
Council members asked a few questions about the details of what FEMA can be expected to reimburse the town for. In response to a question, Hackenberg said that his firm has finally been able to persuade FEMA officials that the Americans With Disabilities Act applies to plans to rebuild the downtown footbridge, meaning the town can get funding to make the new bridge handicapped-accessible.
“Is FEMA going to foot the bill for you to straighten them out?” Council Member Beth Holmes asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Hackenberg said.
The council thanked Hackenberg for his help.
“Sounds like we’re very fortunate to have you,” Mayor Phillip Hise said.