After being recognized by the Texas Public Works Association for Project of the Year - Disaster Recovery under $5 Million, Jim Proce & Ed Balderas submitted application to APWA with the TPWA endorsement. Jim & Ed collobaroated on several presentations and articles on the event and both have been recognized for innovative methods in disaster recovery.

1. City of Rowlett, Texas - APWA 2017 Project of the Year - Disaster or
Emergency Construction/Repair – Less Than $5 Million
INTRODUCTION/SUMMARY
On December 26, 2015, the City of Rowlett and several other cities in North Texas were
hit with an EF-4 tornado. As a result almost 1,300 homes in Rowlett were tragically
affected. Total destruction of many of these homes was evident only moments after the
hit. The path of destruction was over 3 and a half miles long and as wide as a half mile
wide. Such an event had never been encountered in Rowlett. Over 300 vehicles were
destroyed. All street signs, traffic signals, street lights, street trees, were destroyed or
damaged. One of our water towers was severely damaged beyond repair requiring it to
be immediately drained to prevent its’ imminent collapse.
Upon first inspection the streets of Rowlett were virtually impassable. Through the use
of the North Central Texas Council of Government’s Public Works Emergency Response
Team (NCTCOG-PWERT) mutual aid agreement, over 130,000 cubic yards of
construction and demolition debris was removed from the City’s rights-of-way, allowing
public safety, public works, contractors, and volunteers to access the affected region and
as such the recovery began.

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Working with emergency management staff,
public safety officials, public works staff, and
mutual aid response, the Rowlett response was
nothing short of a miracle. The sheer volume of
material moved, reduced, sorted and recycled
was not only the right answer, but it was cost
effective, timely, and efficient, saving the citizens
of Rowlett, literally millions of dollars, by mutual
aid, reduction efforts and diverting tipping fees.
This is truly the story of the successes of the
Rowlett tornado recovery efforts, the Rowlett
Public Works Department, the NCTCOG PWERT
mutual aid cities, our Contractor Crowder Gulf,
our Consultant True North, and several of our key
team members to whom without we would not
have so successfully addressed our community in
its time of great need. Several of the tactics and
initiatives are outlined in the following pages and
illustrate opportunities that can be replicated by
communities suffering similar events.
Having already been recognized by the Texas Chapter of APWA for the Project of the
Year, and similarly recognized by our Chamber of Commerce, published articles in the
APWA Reporter and the Texas Engineer periodicals, as well as being an APWA Click
Listen & Learn (Leadership During a Disaster) and a recognized topic at several
conferences and venues throughout the country over the last year, we certainly hope you
find this story worthy of consideration for this prestigious award and we truly appreciate
the work you do on behalf of APWA as part of the Awards Committee.
Co-authored by Rowlett Assistant City Manager Jim Proce and Emergency Manager Ed
Balderas, the inaugural article for the Leadership and Management Committee new
column in the APWA Reporter, “How Did They Do That?” highlighted and summarized
the trials and tribulations of the Rowlett Tornado serving as a model for the “how to”
response, recover, revitalize and rebuild what is now an energized community in North
Texas. If you have not read the article, please take a few moments to review it, enclosed
in its entirety on the following pages and part of this submittal. One year after impact, out
of the 1,300 homes affected, all but 11 homes have been cleaned up, repaired and rebuilt,
over 2,000 building permits issued, well over $50,000,000 in value added to the tax-roles
and growing greater in number each day and today we stand an energized, revitalized,
and recovered community. Rowlett Energy is Rowlett Strong!

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES
IMPLEMENTED REGIONAL PUBLIC WORKS MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT
As a member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Public
Works Emergency Response Team (PWERT), Assistant City Manager Jim Proce and
Utility Operations Manager Jake Gilliland have lead Rowlett to engage in a regional public
works mutual aid agreement. Such agreements are typical in the public safety world, but
many public works departments do not have such agreements in place. With the vast
resources throughout the DFW Metroplex, such an agreement could be the model of how
public works can do business in multi-jurisdictional emergencies.
To date Rowlett has been called upon to respond under this agreement assisting in a
tornado clean-up in Lancaster Texas and a flood in Navarro County Texas, but on
December 26, 2015 this was all about to change forever. As previously mentioned, the
EF-4 tornado that hit Rowlett affected 1,300 homes. The path of destruction was over 3
and a half miles long and as wide a half mile wide debris field. Over 300 vehicles were
destroyed. All street signs, street lights, street trees, were destroyed or damaged. Traffic
signals were destroyed and damaged. One of the water towers was severely damaged
requiring it to be immediately drained.
Upon first inspection the streets of Rowlett were virtually impassable. Rowlett has limited
equipment, but is well positioned and prepared with the PWERT mutual aid agreement in
place, and the response was overwhelming. Faced with limited access to the landfill in
the early stages of the clean-up, Rowlett was forced to stage materials on city property.
With the assistance of 16 public works departments from the Dallas Fort Worth region,
Rowlett was able to clear all of the rights-of-way in the affected area in about two weeks.
Assistance was offered from as far away as Florida, Kansas, California, and Kentucky.
The outpouring of humanitarian assistance was overwhelming. Literally thousands of
volunteers were available to provide assistance in so many forms, providing foods for
workers, clothing and necessities for residents, transportation and healthcare needs for
neighbors, and clean up and construction services for homeowners.
Almost 130,000 cubic yards of construction and demolition (of the 300,000 estimated
totals) debris was moved through the use of these resources prior to enacting the debris
removal contractor, Crowder Gulf of Alabama. Without the PWERT mutual aid agreement
in place at the time, well over 8,000 truckloads of debris would have been in the streets
of Rowlett for weeks if not months.
CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE
The initial time estimates for clean-up were set at 10 to 12 weeks from the completion of
the damage assessment. This set a final date for last pass at mid-March 2016. Aside from
some additional weather delays, due to rain, this schedule was attainable. The schedule
was revised due to public input and request. The new date was set for the third week in
April to allow citizens and volunteer groups to clean up additional areas before finishing

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final pass. This schedule was met as planned and the final debris date was April 22,
2016. To maximize the potential for FEMA reimbursement for public assistance the
schedule was discussed and confirmed with FEMA, Texas Department of Emergency
Management and Army Corp of Engineers. The push to move quickly was predicated
by the opportunity to take advantage of the FEMA Public Assistance Alternate Procedures
Pilot Program. The City chose to pursue the Section 428 funding, in order to maximize
reimbursement for Category A – Debris Removal, by getting the bulk of the debris
addressed in less than 180 days, whereas the following schedule is enacted:
 85% - first 30 days
 80% - 31 to 90 days
 75% - 91 to 180 days
 0% - After 180 days
We were successful in achieving the schedule requirements for the 428 funding which
paid off when we got to the FEMA reimbursement process.
SAFETY PERFORMANCE
MUTUAL AID LABOR FORCES
Through the use of the Public Works Emergency Response Team (PWERT) administered
through the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) 513 staff shifts (8
hour shifts = 4104 hours) valued at $150,000 and 804 equipment shifts (8 hour shifts =
6432 equipment hours) valued at over $600,000, totaling over $750,000 in value.
CITY STAFF LABOR FORCES
City staff worked 50 consecutive days during the initial push. Over 1200 staff shifts or
forced labor accounts (12 hour shifts = 14,400 hours) were allocated with an equal
amount of equipment allocation valued at $500,000 and $1,368,000, respectively.

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CONTRACT EXPENSES
Contract staff provided by Crowder Gulf worked over a period of 66 calendar days making
two initial passes removing debris from the right-of-way and one punch list/hot spot pass
to remove the remainder of the debris. 500 staff and equipment shifts (10 hours = 5,000
hours) valued at over $1,000,000 in total.
VOLUNTEER EFFORTS
Countless volunteer efforts were in play throughout this event. The coordination and
management of these resources was managed through others, however the Army Corp
of Engineers Inspection teams and OSHA Inspection Teams were actively overseeing the
activities of volunteer groups. No reports of injury were observed.
SCOPE OF EFFORTS
130,000 cubic yards of debris was moved to the staging areas during the initial debris
response by city staff and mutual aid efforts. The total removal efforts were augmented
by contract staff for an approximate total of 200,000 cubic yards ultimately going to the
landfill in Garland Texas. The initial amounts were over 300,000 cubic yards but were
reduced by city staff efforts through recycling, reduction through grinding, and reduction
through compaction prior to ultimate disposal. Two debris sites were utilized for staging
and reduction efforts.
SAFETY INTIATIVES
All staff were required to be properly outfitted with the appropriate personal protective
equipment. Internal safety officers briefed and inspected teams daily prior to deployment.
This effort included external staffing from mutual aid cities provided by the PWERT.
The Army Corp of Engineers Inspection teams were on sight to instruct ensure and
observe safety practices throughout the event and conducted daily inspections with no
significant findings.
OSHA Inspection Teams were on site conducting daily inspections of contractors and
volunteers throughout the event, also with no significant findings.

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METRICS
No lost-time injuries were sustained
during debris reduction and removal
efforts in over 23,500 hours worked
during the initial response efforts. As
a whole the City’s rate of incident
had actually decreased during this
period as compared to the prior year
safety performance.
As you can see our HR department
reported the decline in injuries
during this high risk period as
compared prior years.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
COMMUNICATIONS
Communications throughout the event was integral to the success of every element of
the response and recovery. The community was updated regularly through social media,
news, media, information forum, surveys, mailers and the City television station RTN16.
Multiple YouTube clips and public service announcements were developed and aired on
Facebook, YouTube, RTN16, and local and regional news. Several examples of these
video productions are provided as follows:
 https://youtu.be/rvgXh4gyCnE
 https://youtu.be/uEMIziz-3Zw
 https://youtu.be/_N_RLLVMh_I
NEWLETTERS
Newsletters were routinely utilized and distributed to share information. These were
shared using all media and hard copies handed out in the neighborhood. A sample of
one of these newsletter is inserted herein:

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These notices (and updates like these) were routinely distributed by staff and volunteers,
mailed to addresses and forwarded mail addresses, were posted on the website and
social media, were made available at schools and city facilities, and were placed in
weather proof transparent boxes, where those in the neighborhoods could gather and get
the latest volume of information being provided.
FORUMS
Several community forums were held to provide assistance, coordinate recovery needs,
and facilitate FEMA and SBA coordination. These were held in the neighborhoods at
neighborhood churches and community schools, where people would easily and
conveniently gather to get information and work together to assist in recovery efforts.
TOURS
City staff provided tours of the affected areas for representatives of government, recovery
agencies, volunteer agencies, Federal, State, County, and Local government leaders as
well as spiritual leaders representing our citizens. Officials from FEMA, the Army Corp of
Engineers, Texas Department of Emergency Management, Texas Legislature and the
United States Congress visited to see and assess the devastation first hand. Presidential
Candidate and Current Texas Senator Ted Cruz was a most notable visitor. Dallas County
Judge Clay Jenkins and his team visited. Catholic Cardinal Kevin Farrell and his
entourage toured and donated $200,000 on the first day, followed by unstated amount in
assistance for the region.
SECURITY
Throughout the entire recovery phase, police officers from 46 different agencies some
coming from as far as 100 miles away who acted as security and neighborhood guardians,
and were often utilized as the first lines of communication throughout the event. The
community was protected 24/7 and these efforts all but eliminated theft, fraud, and civil
unrest. The Texas Department of Public Safety advised the City to invoke a moratorium
on out of state contractors to mitigate fraud. This was in effect for almost 6 months and
was very effective in the protection of local interests and residents.

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CELEBRATION/RECOGNITION
The collective efforts of the Public Works Department, Crowder Gulf, True North, and the
myriad of partners were recognized by the Texas Chapter of APWA and locally by the
Rowlett Chamber of Commerce.
Sixteen PWERT cities responded and were recognized at the
Spring 2016 Quarterly North Central Texas Branch Meeting.
Assistant City Manager Jim Proce, Interim Public Works
Director Noel Thompson, Rowlett Emergency Manager Ed
Balderas, and City of Richardson Emergency Manager and
PWERT Co-Chair Mistie Gardner were the featured speakers
for the regional meeting. Each of the participating cities were
given a Rowlett City Council proclamation and a plaque for each
of these departments. Special recognition was given to Robert
Kopp, City of Frisco and Ronnie Bates, City of Allen, who were
the architects of the mutual aid agreement as well as Mistie
Gardner, City of Richardson for her integral role during the
response.
A full page advertisement was published in the newspaper
recognizing all of the groups and agencies who assisted in the
response and recovery efforts. The City held a dinner to invite
all of these folks for a solemn occasion to honor everyone who
contributed.

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DONATION CENTER
Almost immediately a regional donation center was established in Garland to serve the
region but due to its proximity being located in another city, our local faith-based
organizations lead the efforts along with City staff to establish a local donation center.
Through the generosity of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) we acquired the use of
a local building located in Downtown Rowlett. This building staffed by volunteers for one
year became the hub for donation management for short and long term needs of affected
residents.
LONG-TERM RECOVERY COMMITTEE (LTRC)
The City along with the community, created a Long-Term Recovery Committee. This
committee was integral for case management and facilitated the distribution of aid and
donations for uninsured and underinsured. Individual assistance was not provided for by
FEMA so the need for the LTRC was greatly needed for those is great need. Fueled by
donation and multiple fund raising efforts, the case management was managed by
Catholic Charities and The First Methodist of Rowlett. The committee remains active to
assist in the reconstruction efforts of those without insurance.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
STAGING AREAS
Once the movement of debris
began (within 24 hours of impact)
staff was informed that the City of
Garland Landfill was unable to
accommodate Rowlett Debris.
Coming off of the Christmas
Holiday and having been hit
themselves by the same tornado,
they were not prepared for the
influx of debris and many staff
were on vacation. The result was
we immediately had to establish
temporary staging areas. The
first area was City owned property
on the President George Bush
Highway (service road to the
turnpike) which is a 20 acres utility site where one of our water tower facilities and storage
yards are located. Staff immediately applied for authorization to the Texas Commission
for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to allow use of this site as a temporary storage for
construction and demolition debris as well as vegetative debris. A second site was
identified and efforts to lease that site which is located a half mile north of the primary site
was pursued and eventually acquired as well. Both sites had to be certified by the State
of Texas Historical Commission (THC) agencies to make sure no conflicts existed.

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RECYCLING EFFORTS & REDUCTION EFFORTS
As debris was deposited on the staging areas it was sorted for the purposes of recycling
and reductions. Roll off dumpsters were places and steel, aluminum, and other metals
were pulled from the debris to minimize materials that would eventually be brought to
the Garland Landfill.
A tub grinder was brought in to reduce the
vegetative. It was estimated that well over
100,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris
was ground down to about 20% of the
original volumes. Ultimately this mulch was
hauled away and used for cover at the
landfill. This effort was completed in 10
days.
Plastic (polyethylene) was pulled from the
debris and Waste Management retrieved
this material to be recycled thus reducing the debris going to the landfill yet more.
Additionally, the remaining C&D debris was compacted by crushing with large bulldozer
further reducing the volumes down to 50% of original volumes hauled in. This enabled
the ability to maximize truck volumes and efficiencies.
Last, we arranged to have all metal removed and separated and these items were
recycled as well, with the idea of maximizing the scrap revenue to further offset costs.
The ability to remove recyclables and the various reduction efforts minimized the
materials that eventually went to the landfill significantly.
HAZMAT EVENT
A white goods and hazmat event was hosted by “Keep Rowlett Beautiful” in conjunction
with Dallas County Hazardous Waste. The event provided the community an opportunity
to clean up appliances, paint cans and other items that could not be disposed of in the
general landfill. Seven truckloads were collected and disposed of at a minimal cost (under
$25,000) by using the City’s existing contracts with Dallas County for this service.

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UNUSUAL CONSIDERATIONS (UNDER ADVERSE CONDITIONS)
VOLUNTEERS
During the initial impacts an outpouring if volunteers had arrived and were difficult to
manage. There was not a central source of resource management being followed. While
the resource management was actually in place, the myriad of volunteer groups were all
trying to lead the volunteer clean-up efforts, without focus or strategic direction, often
causing confusion during the initial impacts. This was chaotic and it was not until the
formation of a City established Long Term Recovery Committee (LTRC) sanctioned by
the City Council was in place and functioning, that the volunteer efforts became more
productive, focused, and coordinated. Although the focus of the LTRC was long term,
volunteer management was an immediate need that could be easily managed by this
group and the efforts were very successful going forward. It was estimated that
volunteers were valued as much as a half million dollars.
FOOD/MEAL DONATION
A donation center was established early in the process. Most churches in the area has
taken on this role only to find that they didn’t have the space and the resources and staff
to manage this effectively. Once the City secured a building from Dallas Area Rapid
Transit (DART) this could be centralized and all of those wanting to assist could manage
the system much more effectively.
GARLAND LANDFILL
The targeted landfill is located in Garland. Due to the holiday, they were understaffed
initially and having to deal with their own event having been hit by the same tornado, they
were unable to accommodate our volumes. Additionally they provided an upper limit to
how much material they would accept once they opened the gates for our disposal needs.
This was initially perceived as an insurmountable challenge. Eventually they set a limit at
100,000 cubic yards, it was then evident that we had some serious challenges ahead.
The estimate for total debris needs was completed by True North. True North identified
that we had approximately 290,000 cubic yards in total volumes all materials included.
This limit imposed by Garland necessitated the efforts of reduction, recycling, and
compaction to reduce overall volumes significantly ensuring that we would not have to
haul to another landfill outside of our locale. The next landfill was located 45 miles away.
CONTRACT DOCUMENTS
When the tornado hit, it was determined that our existing debris contract was not FEMA
friendly and if initiated would not likely result in a favorable reimbursement opportunity.
Staff was encouraged to utilize the Dallas County contract, but prior to entering into such
an agreement we contracted for legal service with the former FEMA Chief Counsel to
review the options at hand. It was determined that we would be at great risk for failure if
we used any of the available option so it was decide to rebid our contract immediately
utilizing the contract documents from both Dallas and Tarrant Counties to draft our own
new agreements. While this was urgent, the time used to ensure we would be compliant

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was worth the time invested and it allowed for volunteer groups to complete tear downs
of destroyed houses so they would be hauled away by the forthcoming efforts.
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS (EXCEPTIONAL CONDITIONS &
INNOVATIONS)
There were several unique initiatives put into play in the recovery efforts that resulted in
positive outcomes.
PWERT
The Public Works Emergency Response Team (PWERT), which is a consortium of cities
in the Metroplex, were instrumental in the success of the cleanup. Rowlett staff took the
opportunity along with representatives of the North Central Texas APWA Branch took the
opportunity to use this event to get other cities to engage the PWERT. Presentations at
several venues supporting PWERT and it benefits were provided to organization in the
region and at publishing has sparked additional cities to look to join the mutual aid group.
Additionally the PWERT group has utilized State Homeland Security Grants to acquire
emergency response equipment. This equipment can be utilized by any of the consortium
cities and is stored by “cache” cities strategically located throughout the DFW region
which encompasses over 13,000 square miles. The equipment includes,
communications equipment, portable and trailer mounted generators, variable message
boards, emergency equipment stocked box trailers, and soon to be acquired

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portable/temporary traffic signals and used in Rowlett as a temporary measure until the
missing signal was being replaced by TML Risk Pool Insurance.
OTHER INITIATIVES AND INNOVATIONS
Several other interesting initiatives were part of the process that were helpful hints easily
replicated buy others encountering similar challenges.
STREETNAMES ON THE PAVEMENT
Having lost all of the street name signs and landmarks throughout the neighborhoods,
staff had painted all of the street names on the pavement to facilitate finding ones way
around the neighborhoods. This proved to be an extremely useful practice in Jim Proce’s
experience from Florida where he utilized this tactic during the 2004 hurricanes in the
southeast.
WASTE MANAGEMENT BAGSTERS
Acquired by donation from Waste Management, 500 of the WM Bagsters were provided
to bordering neighborhoods to allow them to “help” in the clean-up efforts in the peripheral
areas. Basically though areas not damaged but where debris landed. The Bagsters
turned out the be the perfect application to get these areas cleaned up but the neighbors,
volunteers and Waste Management who donated labor as well. Waste Management also
donated the pickup of the Bagsters, no charge to these folks helping out the with clean-
up efforts.

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LANDFILL PASSES
We provided citizens the ability to bring their own debris if they were so inclined by
providing free access to the landfill. They could drop off construction, demolition and
vegetative materials without incurring tipping fees.
COST IMPACTS
At the conclusion of the event this event was valued at the City of Rowlett $3.3 million
dollars. After all documentation was completed and submitted to FEMA and Texas
Municipal League Risk Pool (TML) it is expected we will be reimbursed the maximum
allowance as provided by regulations. Approximately $1.9 is anticipated to be reimbursed
by FEMA of which we have received $1.1 to date, with the remainder expected. The
demolished water tower was insured for $1.9 million by TML, to date we have received
50% of this amount.
STAFFING
In closing, there is one story which needs to be told. As a part of a discussion for a sub-
committee that I serve for APWA, I was on conference call one Thursday afternoon while
I was eating lunch, only a few weeks after the impacts of the tornado. Folks on the
committee wanted to know how things were going. In response I was telling the group
that the stress on staff had resulted in the loss of almost 25% of the Public Works
Department staff and we were without a public works director and an assistant director.
As the Assistant City Manager I manage several departments in addition to Rowlett Public
Works and had been utilizing the Parks staff to augment the public works efforts.

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Unfortunately we lost 23% of the Parks staff as well, including director and assistant
director. As challenging as this was we never gave up hope. As I was mentioning this
anomaly (or catastrophe) to the members of the sub-committee, Noel Thompson, APWA
Past President, from Lexington Kentucky, asked me if I needed any help. I said yes you
bet I do, if only I could find someone! Noel showed up the following Monday and spent
the next 8 months lending a helping hand. When Noel departed to head home to
Kentucky, he left Rowlett better than he found it! Public Works was fully staffed and he
even helped recruit and hired a new Public Works Director.
Rowlett Public Works and our community thanks Noel Thompson, our guardian angel for
his leadership and humanitarian efforts. If we should be lucky enough to win this award it
will be dedicated to Noel Thompson, a true Public Works hero. We all miss him dearly!
WATER TOWER The water tower in the initial photographs and in the recovery logo was
recently removed. It is being decommissioned and through a new development project
was replaced by a large transmission line and will no longer be needed. When we
dropped it, folks came from far and wide to view the demolition. It marked the end of this
chapter in Rowlett history and the new beginning for our thriving community.

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IMG_1755.mov
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Proce, MBA, ICMA-CM, PWLF
Assistant City Manager, City of Rowlett Texas
TPWA, North Central Texas Branch Director
(Texas Chapter)
APWA, Leadership & Management Committee
APWA, 2016 Top Ten Public Works Leader
Ed Balderas, MPA
Emergency Manager, City of Rowlett Texas
APWA 2017 Emerging Leaders Academy

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PHOTOGRAPHS
Rowlett Energy is Rowlett Strong!

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