Recovery Program Challenges
In the wake of a natural disaster, utilities are eligible to receive reimbursement for disaster-related costs from multiple federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Program eligibility and reimbursement rules are complicated. How much funding a utility receives and retains is based on the extent of damages, the proper documentation of losses, and the demonstration of proper preventive system maintenance.
Retaining funding also requires the proper justification for eligibility, the proper reimbursement process, and the implementation of cost-effective mitigation.
Our utility clients credit DCMC’s efforts with securing hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance not originally offered by FEMA and insurance.
Texas
- Pedernales Electric Cooperative
- Golden Spread Electric Cooperative
- Bandera Electric Cooperative
- Big Country Electric Cooperative
- Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative
- Coleman County Electric Cooperative
- CPS Energy
- Deaf Smith Electric Cooperative
- Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative
- Farmers Electric Cooperative
- Greenbelt Electric Cooperative
- Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative
- North Plains Electric Cooperative
- Rita Blanca Electric Cooperative
- Southwest Texas Electric Cooperative
- Swisher Electric Cooperative
- Taylor Electric Cooperative
- Tri-County Electric Cooperative
- United Electric Cooperative
Alabama
- Baldwin County Electric Membership
Corporation - Covington Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Arkansas
- First Electric Cooperative
Colorado
- CORE Electric Cooperative
Florida
- Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative
- Glades Electric Cooperative, Inc.
- Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, Inc.
- Talquin Electric Cooperative, Inc.
- West Florida Electric Cooperative, Inc.
- Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative
Minnesota
- Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and
Power Association
Nebraska
- Omaha Public Power District
- New Hampshire
- New Hampshire Electric Cooperative
Oklahoma
- Cimarron Electric Cooperative, Inc.
- Tri-County Electric Cooperative
Puerto Rico
- Genera PR, LLC
- Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority
Virginia
- National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association
Washington
- Peninsula Light Company
Pre-event – DCMC Provides
- A review of utilities’ procurement and labor policies to ensure compliance with Federal and State requirements.
- A review of current contracts and vendors to ensure those contracts have the appropriate contract language and invoices are developed to contain appropriate documentation required in federal projects.
- Development of communication plans, identification of key stakeholders for DCMC Partners and utilities in future events, and training of documentation standards.
- Coordination of identified emergency plan needs and existing resources.
- Identification of at-risk facilities and identification of possible mitigation or hardening opportunities.
During Recovery – DCMC Provides
- Assistance in the collection of the initial data needed for a disaster declaration.
- Prepares a utility’s stakeholders and attends initial meetings with the state and FEMA to start the recovery process.
- Works with utilities to develop the initial Damage Inventory items.
- Coordinates with state emergency management and FEMA meeting schedules and deliverables to ensure a smooth grant formulation process.
- Provides expertise in the navigation of the FEMA Grant Portal.
- Provides expert collaboration with the FEMA program delivery team (PDMG).
- Utilizes multiple tools to assist in the collection of field data to assist in the site inspection process.
- Provides experienced cost estimators to work with utilities and FEMA to develop real-world estimates of costs.
- Provides mitigation expertise to reduce future risks.
- Provides knowledgeable staff to support the project review process to speed up the obligation of projects.
DCMC Supports Mitigation & Resiliency
- DCMC has decades of experience in the development of grants that reduce future risk to our clients.
- DCMC will work with utilities to identify potential projects to seek federal assistance.
- DCMC will identify opportunities from the recovery projects to mitigate those repairs with additional hardening measures.
- DCMC will present funding options other than FEMA to address the needs of our clients.
Resiliency & Planning Support for Utilities
- Talquin Electric Cooperative: Funding strategy development, application development, project implementation support, compliance support, technical assistance, grants management.
- Programs: FEMA HMGP, HUD CDBG-DR, DOE (various)
- Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative: Application development, project implementation support, compliance support, technical assistance, grants management.
- Programs: FEMA HMGP, HUD CDBG-DR
- Golden Spread Electric Cooperative: Funding strategy development, application development, member support webinar series development and delivery.
- Program: USDA ERA, DOE (various), FEMA HMGP
- United Electric Cooperative: Application development, compliance support, technical assistance.
- Program: FEMA HMGP, DOE GRIP
- Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative: Compliance support, application development.
- Program: State Formula Grant (Grid Resiliency)
DCMC’s Client Involvement & Education
- DCMC provides a collaborative partnership to best position utilities for success:
- Regular standing meetings to ensure communication and understanding;
- Periodic briefings with utility Leadership to ensure awareness of pending or upcoming opportunities as well as the status of ongoing tasking; and
- Periodic briefings to the utility Leadership and Board regarding funding strategy progress, capacity improvements, and other relevant topics.
- Involvement in key decision-making throughout the engagement.
- Ongoing reviews as needed to identify and mitigate compliance concerns.
- Develop and execute training programs to meet defined goals.
- Ongoing discussions with the utility regarding compliance issues and requirements.
Why DCMC? – Utility Experience
- Experience assisting almost 40 Utilities across the U.S. providing:
- Project formulation
- Grant application development
- Grant management
- Program management
- Hazard Mitigation Assistance
- First consultant to assist Utilities in securing federal funding for the cost of finance charges in emergency loans.
- Staff understanding of the unique issues of making repairs to critical infrastructure quickly and safely.