The state plan calls for clearing state roads and highways first, allowing for the delivery of supplies to the hardest hit areas.

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, July 21, 2006

BY AMANDA MILKOVITS
Journal Staff Writer

The swath of destruction from a major hurricane would paralyze the state.

How long that paralysis lasts depends on how long it takes to clean up the debris from crushed buildings and boats, downed trees and storm-tossed and flood-soaked vehicles -- on land and at sea.

Hurricane Katrina's 140-mph winds and storm surge turned Gulf Coast communities into miles of rubble that are still being cleared away, nearly a year later.

State and local emergency officials have been preparing plans to clear debris quickly to reopen roads so aid can get through and electricity can be restored.

The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency completed a plan last month for the cleanup and federal reimbursement for debris removal. Bids went out last month to find a company to oversee debris removal from major transportation routes and public and private property, including tree stumps that create a hazard. The company would also establish sites to store debris temporarily and deal with hazardous waste. The state is still reviewing the qualifications of vendors that applied, said Jeff Neal, the governor's spokesman.

The state plan is based on a category-4 hurricane hitting the state, with winds topping 131 mph and sea levels 13 to 18 feet above normal causing extensive coastal and inland flooding. (No category-4 storm has ever hit the state.)

"We're going to have trees down everywhere," said Robert J. Warren, executive director of the state EMA. "I'm worried we'll have structures on the roads. I'm worried about the structural debris."

The state plan calls for clearing state roads and highways first to allow for emergency services and the delivery of supplies to the most severely damaged areas.

Local communities would be responsible for opening their own roads and clearing debris from hospitals, schools and government buildings.

Property owners are responsible for debris on their property. Most homeowners insurance policies will cover debris removal, such as trees that fall on a roof, and even the demolition of heavily damaged buildings, said Pam Pogue, who manages the National Flood Insurance Program for Rhode Island.

Local officials will decide how it should be sorted and picked upand should publicize the plan well before a storm, she said.

If the destruction of private property is so widespread that it threatens the public health or economic recovery of a community, FEMA may pay for the removal of debris.

The debris will be more than the state Central Landfill can handle, said Warren.

State agencies have been asked to choose 25-acre sites that can be used to temporarily store and sort the debris, said Warren. So far, Rhode Island Resource Recovery is the only agency that has identified sites. The EMA had also asked the local emergency directors to pick out debris sites; most have.

The state plan includes a list of transfer stations equipped to handle hazardous waste. Businesses that handle contaminated soil, medical waste and construction debris are also listed in the plan, along with landfills, composting facilities and solid-waste transfer stations. Those were included to help local officials decide where to send debris.

The overwhelming amount of work will be more than municipal budgets can handle. The state would likely seek federal aid.

amilkovi@projo.com / (401) 277-7213