Mosquito Abatement Contract
Mosquito Abatement Contract
The Department of Public Safety (NC DPS) has executed a pre-positioned contract for statewide mosquito control services with Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management, Inc. (Clarke). Clarke is positioned to provide these services at local and regional levels to quickly suppress public health and safety threats including imminent or existing mosquito-borne disease.
Clarke will serve as a first-line source for mosquito control and related services for local governments, tribal nations and state agencies, known as activating authorities for purposes of this contract. Activating authorities should work directly with Clarke at their discretion. This contract is in place until August 2024.
- NC DPS/Clarke Statewide Mosquito Control Contract for Disaster Events
- NC DPS Mosquito Abatement Contract Fact Sheet
Note: Private industries, including farming, livestock or similar agricultural operations and other private businesses – including private nonprofits - are not activating authorities per the contract terms.
About costs that exceed an activating authority’s financial capacity:
If a local government, tribal nation or state agency has exceeded their financial capacity after responding to threats to public health and safety involving mosquito-borne diseases, it may be the case that a federal or state disaster is declared if certain damage cost thresholds are met.
The process requires detailed documentation of activities undertaken that define several key actions, including trapping, testing and application methods utilized before a state or federal (FEMA) declaration can be made.
Clarke has been put in place to provide various services and to assist any activating authority with the verification process for cost reimbursement if state or federal thresholds are met. Clarke will also work in tandem with NC DEQ, NC DHHS, NCEM Recovery, state and local health authorities and other stakeholders when direction and technical support is needed.
County thresholds must be met and verified before any potential applicants within a county can take part in a federal disaster event involving FEMA Public Assistance (PA) funding.
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For questions about operations, application methods, services provided and other questions, please refer to the contract or contact Clarke directly:
Sydney Brogden - Control Consultant |
About the Contract
It is Clarke’s intention per the contract to deploy within 72 hours of contract activation.
Services include:
- Aerial mosquito abatement with ultra-low volume spray systems
- Land mosquito abatement using truck, ATV and backpack/handheld methods
- Disease testing and trapping/surveillance reporting
- Spray exclusion zone mapping and reporting
- Environmental considerations mapping and reporting
- Mapping/GIS services
- Technical assistance
- Pesticide and application method validation
- Homeowner engagement and public relations on behalf of activating authorities
- Area characteristics and human populations narratives and data
- Cost documentation collection to support state or federal declarations
When to activate/when not to activate
As defined in the contract, the services for the statewide contract are intended to quickly respond to public health and safety threats including the suppression mosquito-borne illness causes by at least one of the following:
- a severe weather event,
- a man-made event,
- a stand-alone mosquito disease event (e.g., West Nile, Zika, eastern equine encephalitis)
Guidance
- When to contact Clarke: to respond to public health and safety in areas where human populations in North Carolina would be impacted regarding imminent or existing mosquito-borne disease
- When not to contact Clarke: for local general mosquito control, eradication of nuisance mosquitoes, or to supplement local or regional mosquito program gaps
Did You Know?Local governments are defined in state law at NC GS 160A and include special service districts, as with rural fire and water districts. Under NC state law, the term “city” is interchangeable with the terms "town" and "incorporated village.” |
Did You Know?In order to request cost reimbursement, a state or federal disaster declaration must be in place. All local, state and federal laws, regulations and ordinances must be followed as well. The pesticides and methods used must comply with local, state and federal laws and regulations. No-spray zones and environmental laws must be followed for reimbursement of expenses due to the event. All emergency protocols must have been in place, including a state of emergency at the local level. Documentation must be provided to prove that the costs exceeded local capacity, and that evidence of mosquito-borne disease required that work be done to clear the area of disease, and that the pesticides used were effective to the mosquito species that has caused the emergency event. |
About cost reimbursement:
Clarke will capture all documentation and transfer the documentation to the activating authority for submission to NCEM Recovery’s Public Assistance team to start the cost reimbursement process. If either a federal or state disaster has been declared, local governments will then work with NCEM Recovery’s Public Assistance team.
Clarke was selected in part because of their broad experience with municipal and multi-county events in other states, which includes extensive experience with FEMA Public Assistance program mosquito control rules and FEMA PA reimbursement.
Local, tribal and state reimbursement requirements for cost reimbursement
• Reimbursement to a local government: A local government will not be reimbursed without a state or federal (FEMA) declaration.
• Reimbursement to a tribal nation: A tribal nation will not be reimbursed without a state or federal declaration.
• Reimbursement to the state: A state agency will not be reimbursed without a federal declaration.
FEMA Public Assistance funding and cost reimbursement
FEMA Public Assistance funding provides cost reimbursement for mosquito abatement activities under certain conditions. Each county has its own federal FEMA Public Assistance damage cost thresholds, typically captured during site damage assessments by local emergency managers and volunteers and again jointly with FEMA and NCEM. County thresholds must be met for any potential applicants to take part in a federal disaster event involving FEMA Public Assistance funding.
FEMA only provides Public Assistance funding for the increased cost of mosquito abatement activities, which is typically the increased cost above the most recent three years of general mosquito control activity costs, averaged. FEMA will also need to consult with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health officials to determine the eligibility of mosquito abatement activities and all federal, state and local environmental laws must be followed as well.
About State of North Carolina disaster recovery funding
In order to start the process, the costs for mosquito control activities will need to have:
- Exceeded 1% of the activating authority’s operating budget, or $10,000, whichever is greater
- Have a hazard mitigation plan in place and
- Participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
After mosquito control activities have ended, Clarke will assist in the data and documentation process for the activating authority. NCEM’s Public Assistance team will help determine if these activities and expenses meet the State of North Carolina’s disaster recovery threshold if a federal (FEMA) declaration is not available.
If local government authorities have determined that the costs for mosquito abatement services has exceeded the threshold for their area, please work with your local emergency manager and contact an NCEM Recovery Public Assistance team lead, operations lead, or recovery chief and ask about a state declaration.
NCEM Recovery’s Public Assistance contact information
NCEM Recovery’s Public Assistance team works in every county and with each tribal nation in North Carolina for guidance on state and FEMA policies, regulations and laws as they relate to disaster events. If you have any questions about FEMA PA or IA, or have questions about cost reimbursement, please contact one of the Public Assistance team.
If you have questions that cannot be answered by either Clarke or NCEM Recovery
For questions or comments about mosquito control or other information, please email abatement@ncdps.gov. Your email may need to be forwarded to another appropriate contact for their response.
Did You Know?Documentation must clearly define reasoning for services performed and need to include test results/counts, pesticides used, environmental compliance, methods deployed, licenses required, permitting required, pesticide compliance, labor usage along with proof of expenses that have caused excessive burdens to activating authorities. For a state disaster declaration, the activating authority’s costs for abatement activities will have had to exceed 1% of the local government’s operating budget, or $10,000, whichever is greater. This is largely determined by reviewing the activating authority’s general operating budget. |
Did You Know?FEMA pays at least 75% of the eligible costs while the state and/or local government usually pays the remaining 25%. The higher the costs, the higher FEMA’s cost share. Historically, the state has paid the remaining non-federal cost share in North Carolina. |
Did You Know?For a state disaster declaration, the activating authority’s costs for abatement activities will have had to exceed 1% of the local government’s operating budget, or $10,000, whichever is greater. This is largely determined by reviewing the activating authority’s general operating budget. There will also need to be an approved Hazard Mitigation plan and participation in the NFIP. |
Reference: State of North Carolina Disaster Recovery law.
Mosquito Abatement Resources |