Debris Removal is  the clearance, removal, and/or disposal of items such as trees, woody debris,  sand, mud, silt, gravel, building components and contents, wreckage  (including that produced during the conduct of emergency work), vehicles on  public property, and personal property. For debris removal to be eligible,  the work must be necessary to:
   †  Eliminate an  immediate threat to lives, public health and safety
   †  Eliminate  immediate threats of significant damage to improved public or private  property when the measures are cost effective
   †  Ensure the  economic recovery of the affected community to the benefit of the  community-at-large
   †  Mitigate the  risk to life and property by removing substantially damaged structures and  associated appurtenances as needed to convert property acquired using FEMA  hazard mitigation program funds to uses compatible with open space,  recreation, or wetlands management practices
   Examples of eligible  debris removal activities include:
   †  Debris removal  from a street or highway to allow the safe passage of emergency  vehicles
   †  Debris removal  from roads in private communities, including debris moved to the curb in the  community (see Homeowners’ Associations)
   †  Debris removal  from public property to eliminate health and safety hazards
   Examples of ineligible  debris removal activities include:
   †  Removal of  debris, such as tree limbs and trunks, from natural (unimproved) wilderness  areas
   †  Removal of  pre-disaster sediment from engineered channels
   †  Removal of  debris from a natural channel unless the debris poses an immediate threat of  flooding to improved property from a flood that has a 20% chance of occurring  in any one year.
   Debris removal from private property is  generally not eligible because it is the responsibility of the individual  property owner (see eligible debris examples above). If property owners move  the disaster-related debris to a public right-of-way, the local government  may be reimbursed for curbside pickup and disposal for a limited period of  time. If the debris on private business and residential property is so  widespread that public health, safety, or the economic recovery of the  community is threatened, FEMA may fund debris removal from private property,  but it must be approved in advance by FEMA.
   (See also Demolition, Debris Salvage, and Categories of Work.)
   References: Sections 403 and 407 of the Stafford  Act 44 CFR §206.224
   Stump Removal – Extraction, FEMA Policy 9523.11  dated 5/15/07
   Debris Operations – Hand-Loaded Trucks and  Trailers, FEMA Policy 9523.12 dated 5/1/06 Debris Removal from Private  Property, FEMA Policy 9523.13, dated 7/18/07
   Public Assistance Debris Management Guide, FEMA  325
   Debris Operations – Clarification, FEMA Fact  Sheet 9580.4 dated 1/19/01
   Debris Removal from Private Property, FEMA Fact  Sheet 9580.200 dated 10/21/05 Debris Removal Applicant Checklist, FEMA Fact  Sheet 9580.201 dated 4/10/06
   Debris Removal Authorities of Federal Agencies,  FEMA Fact Sheet 9580.202 dated 1/27/07 Debris Monitoring, FEMA Fact Sheet  9580.203 dated 5/3/07
   Public Assistance Guide, FEMA 322, pages 20-21,  29, 66, 67-71