Bridges

Summary Paragraph

In 2011, high winds, heavy rain, and localized flooding due to Hurricane Irene caused widespread damage throughout New Jersey.  The Applicant claimed that, as a result of the disaster, embankments along the western side of the Bridge support undermined the concrete abutment.  FEMA prepared PW 4702 for the replacement of the main support along the western embankment of the Bridge but wrote it for zero dollars as FEMA was getting ready to demobilize field staff and close the office.  FEMA told the Applicant that it could submit additional information for determining eligible funding on appeal.  In the first appeal, the Applicant submitted documentation to show the damage to the Bridge, most of which related to the superstructure of the facility but was associated with the bridge abutments.  The FEMA Region II Regional Administrator (RA) denied the appeal, determining that the work requested to the superstructure of the Bridge was not required as a direct result of the disaster.  In the second appeal, the Applicant clarified that the disaster-related damage for which it seeks funding is related to the Bridge’s abutment and not the superstructure, which the Applicant acknowledges experienced long-term deterioration unrelated to the declared disaster.  With its second appeal, the Applicant’s documentation does not show that the damage to either of the bridge’s abutments was disaster-related.

Authorities Discussed

• 44 C.F.R. § 206.223 (a)(1).
• 44 C.F.R. § 206.226.