Disaster Diversion

Hackleburg, Ala., July 19, 2011 — Almost 90 days after the Wrangler Distribution Center in Hackleburg was destroyed by an EF-5 tornado in Marion County on April 27, FEMA is watching and monitoring the pace of debris removal (Photo by Christopher Mardorf / FEMA).

On April 27, 2011, the state of Alabama was battered by more than 60 deadly tornadoes in a single day, leaving almost 10 million cubic yards of rubble in their paths. Debris from what has been called "the worst natural disaster Alabama has ever experienced" covered 65 percent of the state. The clean up was an enormous task, but not all the debris was destined to find its way into landfills or reduced to ash at approved burn sites.

"Despite the need for a speedy end to debris removal so that rebuilding could become the focus, much of the broken and uprooted trees, stumps, branches and other woody mass were recycled," says State Coordinating Officer Jeff Byard of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. "The environment was very much a part of the overall debris removal equation."

Nearly 100,000 cubic yards of twisted trees, limbs and other woody pulp was mulched and used as fuel for four paper plants, rather than taking up space in landfills. Another 96,000 cubic yards from storm-ravaged Tuscaloosa, Ala., became compost material at a lawn and garden company in nearby Pickens County.

Within days of the disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tasked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to begin debris removal. USACE turned to its contracted companies to begin the process of hauling away an estimated 5.5 million cubic yards of storm debris. The rest of the debris was removed by local municipality workers and contractors. Mountains of rubble were sorted into piles including vegetative, hazardous waste, white goods or construction debris and carted to curbsides.
 

Resolved to Recycle
"The Corps of Engineers is a steward for some of the nation's most valuable natural resources," says Col. Steven J. Roemhildt, USACE, commander of the Mobile (Alabama) District, "and we must ensure our customers receive products and services that provide for sustainable solutions that address short and long-term environmental, social and economic considerations."

Most of the contracted companies already had mulching machines in their arsenal of equipment to remove Alabama's disaster debris, and they knew which companies would accept shredded wood. Eric Hedrick, operations manager for the Alabama debris removal mission, estimates close to 80 percent of the debris was in the vegetative category.

"Being friendly to the environment has its rewards," Hedrick says. "Rather than paying a landfill $4 to $5 per cubic yard for mulched vegetative debris, there are companies that will take the waste and use it for purposes such as powering their plants."

Tuscaloosa, Ala., July 16, 2011 — Nearly 90 days after a series of tornados struck Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011, some residential homes still reveal extensive tornado damage along 15th Street near the intersection of Dr. Edward Hillard Drive and Cedar Crest. FEMA is monitoring extensive debris removal and clean-up efforts in the area (Photo by Christopher Mardorf / FEMA).

Any excess power generated at paper plants is then sold to nearby electrical companies. Landscape companies like one in Aliceville, Ala., that accepted nearly 100,000 cubic yards, used debris that eventually will become compost to enrich soil.

"A lot of landfills won't take this type of debris," Hedrick says. "You have to find alternatives. What we did, basically, was take something that was useless and turn it into something useful."
 

Fuel for Thought
Almost any type of woody material can be considered for fuel, including vegetative material left by storms. In Alabama's case, USACE's contractors gave mulched woody debris to those companies that would accept and repurpose it.

Boiler fuel from Alabama storm debris generated electricity to help power four paper plants in Alabama and Mississippi, including operations in Selma, Pine Hill, and Perdue Hill, Ala., and another in Columbus, Miss. In each case, the debris replaced natural gas consumption.

The paper manufacturing companies that accepted debris are a part of global companies, says FEMA. One of the largest companies, with a mill in Alabama, derives nearly 75 percent of generated energy from biomass and bio-fuels in the U.S. and in 2010 reduced its use of non-renewable fossil fuel by 38 percent, says FEMA. Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels were reduced by 40 percent according to a sustainability report.

Another manufacturer with a plant in Alabama reported that 55 percent of its total energy use came from biomass in 2009. The story is similar at the Mississippi paper plant, where its sustainability reports shows 72 percent of its energy needs comes from biomass.

To help facilitate recycling storm debris, the Alabama Forestry Association, Mississippi Forestry Association, Department of Transportation (DOT) in both states and others cooperated in making it feasible to haul storm debris to companies that would accept the chipped product. Tedrick Ratcliff, executive vice president of the Mississippi Forestry Association, says the DOTs in both states increased weight limits from an 84,000 pound limit to 95,000 pounds on trucks hauling storm damaged timber in an effort to get the biomass to companies like the one in Mississippi as quickly as possible.

"The whole process went very smoothly," Ratcliff says. "Tornado-damaged wood has often been compromised in terms of product quality and value. Most individuals were pleased that provisions were made to help facilitate the ability to get their goods to available markets in a timely manner."

Alabama Forestry Association Executive Vice President Chris Isaacson agreeswith his Mississippi counterpart.

"The cooperative spirit established among so many agencies has resulted in the disposal of wood waste in accordance with good, sustainable practices," Isaacson says. "The AFA has been pleased to offer its assistance as the state recovers, and certainly to see some of the woody debris being put to good use rather than consuming scarce landfill space."

Alabama's Byard says recycling debris from disasters is a growing concept, worldwide, and he applauds the effort.

"It serves us well when all partners involved in such a massive cleanup coordinate to dispose of debris in the most responsible manner possible," Byard says. "While the amount of debris recycled in Alabama may seem small compared to the amount of rubble left after the April storms, every foot of landfill space we don't fill is a valuable contribution to society and to our environment."

USACE diverted more than a half million cubic yards of Alabama tornado debris from landfills. At a $4 disposal rate for each cubic yard, that is at least a $2 million savings directly to the jurisdictions where debris was removed, along with state and federal agencies who share the expense of debris disposal, according to FEMA's estimates.

This article was contributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). More information on FEMA is available at www.fema.gov.