Chapter 8 › V.A.4 Inundated and Submerged Roads

Our roads were under water. What damage will FEMA pay to repair?

FEMA term

Inundated and submerged roads

Short answer

Only visible, quantifiable surface damage directly caused by the disaster, such as washouts, collapses and slips, identified after the water recedes. Claims based only on inundation, subsurface testing or a projected loss of service life are ineligible.

What FEMA requires

Testing sections without visible damage (ground-penetrating radar, cores, borings, deflection testing) is ineligible.
Damage from reopening saturated roads too early is usually treated as negligence, except damage from vehicles doing eligible emergency work or on single-access roads that had to reopen.
A road’s inclusion in the preliminary damage assessment doesn’t make it eligible.

Documentation

Pre- and post-disaster photos or video for each section; maintenance records or a pavement management program; and records of any repairs. For early reopening: the justification, emergency call logs and route maps, or proof no detour existed. Source: PAPPG Tables 23–24.

Watch out · Govstar practitioner advice

Keep roads closed until they dry out where you can, and log every closure and reopening decision.

Govstar summarizes FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide in plain language and links to the official text. Govstar is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. This is general guidance, not legal advice.