FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
EVACUATION ORDER CANCELLATION
AND
SAFE HAVEN REACTIVATION
1. Q.
What are the Safe Haven reactivated evacuation dates?
A. The dates are 6 to 20 Nov.
2. Q. Who does this policy cover?
A.
The policy covers all MVN employees.
One major requirement - an uninhabitable home. After that: Safe Haven reactivation is
directed at employees that are still on Safe Haven; at a satellite office;
working at the district and in a hurricane related TDY work situation who do not
have lodging in the New Orleans commuting area; and those working in New
Orleans that have not resolved their housing situation.
3.
Q. I am in the government
contract hotel, does this affect me?
A.
Yes, you are expected to locate your own personal lodging. When the evacuation order is cancelled,
contract quarters will be cancelled.
4.
Q. What am I supposed to do
during these two weeks of reactivated Safe Haven?
A.
You are to put your personal affairs in order. You should be working with; your insurance
company, FEMA, Small Business Administration (if necessary), realtors,
apartment finders, etc. and locating and occupying lodging by 20 November.
5.
Q. FEMA has long lines, is there
a way to get FEMA to the District?
A.
No. The reason that safe haven is
being reactivated is to give you time to stand in lines or take other necessary
steps to get your affairs in order.
6.
Q. Do I need new Safe Haven
Orders?
A.
Probably not. If you or your
family is still on Safe Haven, your orders are still active. If you have no dependents, are working and
have filed a final Safe Haven travel claim, you may need new orders. Your work section will get instructions on
how to prepare new Safe Haven travel orders.
Only RM can certify Safe Haven travel orders. Only lodging, meals and incidentals are
authorized on Safe Haven. No other
reimbursable expenses are authorized.
7.
Q. Why the push to end Safe
Haven?
A.
The reasons are many, a few of the reasons are:
1). The Corps of Engineers is providing more support than other government agencies.
2). Safe Haven financial support should be the third level of support provided to employees, behind private insurance and FEMA.
3).
Deadlines to obtain support from FEMA are fast approaching and so
is the Safe Haven termination date.
Additionally, FEMA can be a long-term program and is designed for these
situations. Safe haven is a short-term
program that should terminate when other programs and financial support options
become available.
4). Many employees are receiving allowances from several sources for the same requirement. Dual Compensation is not authorized and can have a negative impact on employees in the future. It is not practical to terminate FEMA or insurance programs due to their long-term benefits and the fact that they are not DOD programs.
8.
Q. Will employees that have to
seek housing be on Admin leave for any time they are working on "getting
their affairs in order" as far as housing is concerned?
A. No, employees will be on evacuation pay and
Safe Haven. It is not admin leave. However, it works the same as admin leave
– the employee is not at work but is being paid. The difference is primarily in the way time
is charged. There are evacuation charge codes that each time-keeper has, those
labor codes vice overhead labor codes will be used on the time sheets.
9. Q. Do employees have to request to be put in
that status and if so, who is to approve the status (supervisor, Division
chief, etc)?
A.
Employees do not have to request this Safe Haven status, BUT they
should be contacting their supervisors regarding their status. COL Wagenaar has approved this period of Safe
Haven and he is aware that this action will cause some disruption within the
District.
10. Q. Are employees required to check in daily.
A.
Yes, employees on Safe Haven are required to report in daily with their
supervisors (phone call is acceptable).
11. Q. If an employee has returned to work, but is
staying in temporary housing in the
A.
THIS QUESTION HAS TWO ANSWERS.
1). If the
employee is currently not living in quarters they plan to stay in until
their original home is habitable, they should move to Safe Haven
status. However, with the exception of
vacating a hotel, the employee may have to explain why they left temporary
quarters in the
2). If the employee plans to stay in their
current, temporary residence until their original residence is ready or another
permanent residence is ready, then they remain at work and Safe Haven
is terminated.
12.
Q. Does
this policy apply to employees at satellite offices who have decided to
seek employment at another District?
A.
Yes, there is no option for employees at the satellite offices to remain
at the satellite offices because they desire to work elsewhere. That an employee would like to work at
another district is not an issue. If
they do not return to find housing in the
13. Q. What happens if an employee decides they
don’t want to seek housing in the
A. 1).
They may live outside the normal commuting area and report to work as
normal. OR,
2).
If they don’t want to report to work at the New Orleans District, the
Evacuation order will be cancelled and one of the following may apply: the employee may apply for annual leave
(requires supervisor approval); go on leave without pay (requires supervisor
approval); the employee is reported as Unauthorized Absence.
14.
Q. What is the
A. The
15.
Q. When can I request an
exception to the evacuation order cancellation?
A.
After you have made a sincere effort to resolve your housing situation
in the
16.
Q. I found a place but cannot
move in until 1 Dec, can I apply for an exception?
A.
Yes, you have complied with the intent of the exception policy and your
request will be submitted to the Commander for consideration.
17.
Q. Can I request an exception
from my satellite work location?
A. 1). Generally, NO. All employees on Safe Haven orders or
hurricane related TDY must make an exhaustive effort to locate and occupy lodging
within the
2). YES, when you have already resolved your
housing situation and can provide detailed information on your housing
situation, why you cannot comply with the 20 Nov occupancy date and the date
you can move in. Be aware, your move in
date needs be reasonable close to the 20 Nov date.
18. Q. I am on a FEMA tasker, I cannot get time off from 6 - 20 Nov, what do I do?
A. Talk to your supervisor and about helping you getting time off. Have your dependents look for quarters on your behalf. If those are not possible, document your situation and submit an extension request.
19.
Q. My children are in school at a
satellite location, can I apply for an exception?
A.
No, school is not an authorized reason for continuing an Evacuation
Order
20.
Q. My car was lost in the
Hurricane can I apply for an exception?
A.
No, transportation is not an authorized reason to apply for or approve
an exception.
21.
Q. I have a unique situation,
will that be considered for an exception?
A.
Yes, unique situations will be considered. However, the following are not unique situations: home is not habitable, flooding, roof damage,
structural damage, loss of personnel belongings, etc. These situations were experienced by most
employees, to varying degrees.
22.
Q. If approved, how long will
extensions of Safe Haven allowances be?
A.
Most extensions to the evacuation order cancellation policy will be in
15 day increments. Truly unique
situations may be granted longer exceptions, but probably not more than 30
days. However, during the extension
period, employee must continue to search for housing in the
23.
Q. Can I get more than one
extension?
A.
Yes, but you can expect that the justification and documentation for
additional extensions will be increasingly more demanding.