Our Team
Gabrielle Benigni
Ms. Benigni more than 20 years of Environmental Demolition, Earthwork Construction, Emergency/Disaster Response and Recovery services including Debris Management Planning and Debris Removal Operations. She is highly skilled with damage assessments, FEMA Public Assistance (PA) program policy, State/ Federal Agency disaster reimbursement requirements, and submittals documentation. As a degreed hydrogeologist she began her career directing Environmental Investigations, Contamination Assessments, and Remedial Installations for Private industrial facilities, pharmaceutical manufacturers, Naval Facilities and Army Depots. Additionally, she is highly experienced with Asbestos Removals, Demolition, Earthwork, and above Ground/Underground Storage tanks removals.
She formed Disaster Operations & Training (DO&T), in 2006, as a woman owned disaster emergency services firm specializing with Debris Management Planning, Response and Recovery services emphasizing State, County client representation for FEMA, FHWY, USDA, reimbursement and insurance companies. She incorporated Disaster Program & Operations, in May, 2015 emphasizing disaster claims software solutions. DP&O makes order out of disorder for municipalities and Utility organizations and ensuring business continuity during disasters. Gabrielle excels with claims justification preparation and analysis, and Disaster Claims Program Development and Implementation.
As President of DP&O she formed and developed the concept of combining Disaster Claims Management Solution (XACT Recovery) with ability to interface with WebEOC (DHS voted as nations Crisis Incident Management software). She combined her disaster claims process with John O’Dell’s IT Development knowledge who /developed WebEOC, and created XACT Recovery - a scalable solution to decrease economic impact on communities, increase financial survivability from disasters offering regional resource sharing, automating damage assessments, and recovery costs tracking with FEMA required submittals documentation.
XACT Recovery is a cloud, and web-based mobile software solution with mobile app for planning, response, and recovery costs tracking, and maintains all pre-disaster status of infrastructure/asset items, auto populates disaster claims forms templates to federal agencies (FEMA, USDS, FHWY) and insurance companies and will provides long term disaster document storage in audit proof format..
In 2013, Prior to DP&O incorporation Gabrielle served State Consultant with NY DHSES, assisted the Liaison to the Chief of Public Assistance and Deputy Commissioner for Super Storm Sandy. Her tasks included critical applicants support for appeals justification and critical applicant status reports for the Governor’s office. She represented the State at various levels for FEMA Projects (Project Worksheets (PW)) Review, and approval at the State/FEMA initial review, QAQC , and the Final PW Grantee level review and approval.
With DP&O she emphasizes Disaster Planning and leveraging lessons learned and represents the Public Power Authorities/Utility Organizations for FEMA/federal compliance promoting “Regional Response and Recovery planning. Gabrielle is also known for her excellent Debris Management Logistics and records reconciliation skills and has represented State of Oklahoma OEM for Debris Management Planning (DMP), Disaster Services and she assists Waste Management, Florida with FEMA compliance and debris management issues for Dade County Cities. For Waste Management in the multiple back to back 2004, hurricanes, and 2005 Hurricane, Katrina and Wilma Gabrielle directed all Debris Removal Operations for WM Cities in Palm Beach, Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties, including subcontracting, mobilization of crews and reconciling all debris removal/disposal records.
She is the Lead Project Director for DP&O clients some of which include: Homestead and Homestead Electric Services, Miami Dade Colleges, many South Florida Dade County cities, County Public Schools, and Public healthcare agencies. Gabrielle participates with IAEM (International Association of Emergency Managers) FEMA Caucus quarterly discussions of current FEMA trends and issues for applicant’s reimbursements and stays current on FEMA/Federal and State disaster reimbursement and audit requirements.
Areas of Specialization:
Disaster Response and Recovery-Damage assessments, Federal PA program management and Disaster Claims Submittals per FEMA and State Requirements.
Disaster Costs Records Reconciliation and Audits per Single Audit Act.
FEMA and USDA Disaster Reimbursement Submittals.
Debris Management Planning-Debris Removal Operations; Emergency Road Clearing, & TDSR operations. Debris Removal records reconciliation.
Earthwork, Site Remediation and Restoration
Demolition and Asbestos Removal
Project /Contract Administration/Management: Federal Compliance
Hazardous Materials/Emergency Response /Contamination Assessments
Specific Accomplishments:
Hurricane Irma – rapid mobilization of 150+ Multi City support recovery staff, damage assessments, debris management and emergency resources; Successful Long Term Recovery and FEMA PA.
Mississippi Public Utilities Regional Disaster Response and Recovery Planning.
Oklahoma -State Debris Management Plan (DMP) preparation and Implementation,
Disaster Services for Oklahoma, OEM, Represented municipalities as Applicant’s Agent with FEMA, wrote appeals and assembled supporting documentation for OEM, for 14 FEMA appeals in Region VI that were all awarded at 100%-dollar value.
Currently assists numerous South Florida municipalities, Waste Management and Mississippi Utilities with Disaster Recovery Operations, Debris Management Planning and FEMA Public Assistanceprocess.
Education:
B.S., Geology & Hydrogeology, University of Florida, Gainesville
Certifications
Hazardous Material Site Supervisor/ Trainer
Advanced Supervision of Asbestos Abatement Projects - Georgia Tech
State of Florida Dept. of Natural Resources Oil Spill Prevention, Response and Cleanup
FEMA Debris Management Planning and Public Assistance
Advanced PADI Scuba Training
PG State of Indiana
NIMS/ICS 100-800; HIPAA Chapter110 –Eligibility Criteria Specialist.
Presentations/Training:
TVPPA, August 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018,2019 “FEMA Requirements for Reimbursement, Mutual Aid lessons Learned, Specific for Utilities”; TVA, May,2016, FEMA Disaster Reimbursement Requirements.
MECA- June 21, 2017 -FEMA Disaster reimbursement Requirements; tabletop exercise.
AWWPPA, Anchorage Alaska, Table-top exercise; Mutual Aid; FEMA requirements.