FEMA Should Review the Eligibility of $689,138 of $5.57 Million in Public Assistance Grant Funds Awarded to Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, for Hurricane Sandy Debris Removal Activities

We audited one large project (Project 558) for debris removal activities with an award totaling $4.46 million. The audit covered the period October 29, 2012, to September 16, 2013, during which the Township received an advance payment of $1.67 million of FEMA funding from the State. At the time of our audit, the Township had completed work under the project, but had not submitted any claims for reimbursement of project expenditures to the State. The Township provided us with a list of debris removal expenditures (labor, materials, and equipment; and contract costs) totaling approximately $4.6 million that it planned to claim to the State under the award. We used this list of expenditures to conduct the audit.