Disaster Debris Removal After Hurricane Katrina: Status and Associated Issues

Publication Date: April 2008

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Environment

Type:

Abstract:

Hurricane Katrina produced unprecedented destruction, resulting in disaster debris from vegetation and man-made structures. Before Katrina, the event that left behind the greatest recorded amount of disaster-related debris in the United States was Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which generated 43 million cubic yards (CY) of debris in Florida's Metro-Dade County. Disaster debris generated as a result of Hurricane Katrina may be over 100 million CY.

Before the Gulf Coast region can rebuild, particularly in the New Orleans metropolitan area, much debris generated by the storm must be removed and properly managed (i.e., landfilled, recycled, or burned). The types of debris generated include vegetative debris (e.g., trees, limbs, shrubs), municipal solid waste (e.g., common household garbage and personal belongings), construction and demolition debris (in some instances, entire residential structures and all their contents), vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, and boats), food waste (technically termed "putrescibles"), white goods (e.g., refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners), and household hazardous waste (e.g., cleaning agents, pesticides, pool chemicals). Each type of waste may contain or be contaminated with certain toxic or hazardous constituents. In the short term, removal of debris is necessary to facilitate the recovery of the region. In the long term, the methods in which these wastes are to be managed require proper consideration to ensure that their management (e.g., landfilling) would not pose a future threat to human health or the environment.

This report provides the background and information necessary to understand why, if cleanup is to continue, additional funding of debris removal activities will likely be needed for months to come, as well as factors that make debris removal a costly, complex, and lengthy operation. (The "debris removal" process may involve several activities, such as waste separation, hauling, landfill disposal, burning, and recycling.) To illustrate these points, this report provides an overview of the types and amounts of debris generated, the governmental agency requirements and responsibilities regarding the debris removal process, and the complicating factors unique to Hurricane Katrina. Such factors include the slow pace of residents to return to hard-hit areas of New Orleans, the difficulty in separating hazardous debris from non-hazardous debris, and issues associated with demolishing private structures and structures that may contain asbestos. Another issue of concern involves sending construction and demolition (C&D) debris to landfills located in communities affected by the storm. This could become an issue of concern to Congress if agencies participating in the cleanup become liable under provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund; this could be possible because the definition of C&D debris was expanded after the storm to include potentially contaminated material.

Debris removal operations associated with the hurricane are essentially complete in Alabama and are nearing completion in Mississippi. Therefore, this report focuses primarily on issues associated with continuing debris removal activities in Louisiana. This report will be updated.