Rostan Solutions: Providing Critical Assistance throughout All Disaster Phases

The United States is no stranger to destructive natural disasters. In 2020 and 2021 alone the U.S. has endured flooding, tornado outbreaks, hurricanes, winter storms, wildfires, and even a global pandemic causing significant loss of lives and property. As disasters intensify, federal, state and local government must work together to mitigate against vulnerabilities, reduce future impacts, and expedite recovery funding. Recovering from these impacts poses great challenges against the backdrop of everchanging federal policies related to disaster recovery as eligible Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) applicants (i.e., local and state government, private non-profit organizations) struggle to properly access available grants funding. As a result, local governments and eligible FEMA applicants require the assistance of a credentialed partner with extensive experience in federal, state, and local disaster recovery and mitigation programs. Helping meet this need is Rostan Solutions (Rostan), a disaster recovery management, and consulting company. “Rostan focuses on disaster recovery consulting and debris monitoring services. “Our primary role as a consultant is to provide local communities with programmatic direction in the midst of a disaster,” mentions Kyle Jones, Vice President, and a Principal of Rostan. With its extensive federal programs experience, the company assists local and state governments, along with eligible nonprofits throughout all phases of the disaster recovery cycle. Of importance is Rostan’s extensive experience in debris management and monitoring, in addition to its FEMA Public Assistance consulting practice. The company provides its flagship solution, HaulPass®, an Automated Debris Management System (ADMS) to help applicants streamline debris removal tracking, contractor invoice reconciliation, and FEMA reimbursement documentation. This electronic data management tool enables applicants to eliminate erroneous data entry errors and manage debris removal operations in real time. HaulPass® also provides real-time access to data and analytics, so applicants can optimize their debris monitoring and management processes and expedite the flow of federal funding. Many local governments and organizations, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, leverage HaulPass® throughout the life cycle of disaster recovery.

Rostan is dedicated to solving the complex problems associated with disaster preparedness, recovery, and response.

Our primary role as a consultant is really to provide local communities with programmatic direction in the midst of a disaster

By working with local communities and providing expert assistance, Rostan helps its clients navigate the challenges of disaster recovery. As applicants need to adapt to evolving federal and state grants policies and programs, Rostan’s consulting practice helps its clients adapt and incorporate them into their everyday business practices. This includes eligibility factors and streamlined reporting capabilities for damages, COVID protocols, cost policies, funding claims, reimbursements and appeal processes, to name some. To understand the intricacies of such changing policies, Rostan employs a team of professionals who are intimately familiar with state and federal policies, procedures, and specific requirements associated with disaster recovery management. “Our staff has hands-on experience dealing with the technical realm of FEMA requirements,” mentions Jones.

When local communities and governments struggle to deal with the complexities of funding, managing recovery, and dealing with federal regulations, Rostan provides practical solutions and acts as a trusted partner to their clients. Rostan’s team helps its clients manage the paperwork and recovery effectively by providing resource support. This enables the client to avail recovery funds and use them effectively by complying with the federal and state regulations. In addition, as Rostan aligns its internal processes with state and the federal standards and guidelines, FEMA instantly recognizes the format of information submitted in support of recovery grant applications on behalf of their clients. As a result, Rostan can accelerate the grants application process, thus saving money for their clients. In one instance, a private nonprofit hospital in Wisconsin approached Rostan to help them with a disaster recovery funding program. The hospital had experienced one of the worst floods in the history of Wisconsin, and they had suffered heavy loss and damage. Rostan decided to undertake a strike team approach with minimal staff to manage the project. As a result, the federal government allocated a multi-million-dollar facility through 406 hazard mitigation funding that is made available through the FEMA Public Assistance Program. The company leveraged FEMA’s own funding policies to accomplish this, and they successfully transitioned the hospital’s critical departments to the new facility. In addition, the hospital was able to recoup Rostan’s fees through a FEMA Public Assistance Administrative allowance, making Rostan’s fees a budget neutral expense for the hospital. Such success stories stem from Rostan’s experience in dealing with the intricacies of the federal government’s disaster management policies. The company has extensive experience in diverse FEMA programs, including public assistance programs, individual assistance programs, and hazard mitigation grant programs. Rostan continues to expand its focus on unique grants programs. Rostan is also continuing to expand its footprint nationally.