Prince Edward County supervisors voted unanimously at their regular August board meeting to approve the resolution providing for the Board of Supervisors’ adoption of the County Debris Management Plan.

Preceding the vote, County Administrator Wade Bartlett summarized the matter at hand.

“We have a draft resolution which provides for the board’s adoption of a county debris management plan,” he said. “That’s an 113-page plan which was developed by the Commonwealth Regional Council, CRC, in conjunction with help from the county administrator’s office and the Department of Public Works. This would provide a framework for Prince Edward County government and other entities, if needed, to clear and remove debris generated during a public emergency within the limits of Prince Edward County.”

He noted that the plan unifies the efforts of both public and private organizations for a comprehensive and effective approach to establish the most efficient and cost-effective methods to resolve disaster debris removal and disposal.

The summary in the board meeting packet expanded on that statement, adding that in addition to resolving disaster debris removal and disposal issues, the plan would help to establish the most efficient and cost-effective methods “to expedite debris removal and disposal efforts that provide visible signs of recovery designed to mitigate the threat to the health, safety and welfare of the residents of Prince Edward County.”

“Now you’re probably asking, ‘Why are we doing this?’” Bartlett said. “This all has to do with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the possible receipt in the future of federal funding in case we have an event. I think you all have just recently seen that we got about $24,000 and some odd dollars … from our response to (Tropical Storm) Michael. And then on top of that, Meherrin got around $13,000 or something like that, and Hampden-Sydney got a little bit, the real estate foundation of Longwood got a little bit, so this will help make it easier for us to receive funding in the future.”

The summary in the board meeting packet noted that the plan “has been reviewed by the director of Public Works and the emergency management coordinator. Adoption of the plan by the Board of Supervisors facilitates the reimbursement of debris management costs through the FEMA Public Assistance process.”