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Phase 1: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is removing the typically dangerous things, such as asbestos and mercury. Colonel Sawser, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is in charge of the cleanup. Col. Sawser estimates that it will be a couple of hours per property to do stage one cleanup, which they hope to get done by March 1. They had originally planned on 90 days, but the federal government is pushing 30 days.
Phase 2: The Army Corps of Engineers will then clear the remaining foundational structures and debris inside the ash footprint, which is expected to take approximately 6 to 9 months. Hopefully homeowners can start building in January of 2026.
The EPA is covering the cost of phase one, while phase two is being paid for by FEMA, with insurance companies reimbursing FEMA for the cost. Homeowners have the option to use private parties for quicker and potentially less expensive debris removal.