Hurricane Helene debris removal shifts into high gear for Augusta
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Hurricane debris removal has gotten underway in Augusta and neighboring counties.
In Augusta, it’s starting to shift into high gear, Mayor Garnett Johnson said Wednesday.
There are now 24 trucks driving the streets to pick up storm debris. That’s up from 15 when cleanup started on Sunday.
The city eventually wants to have 75 trucks running through the 90-day cleanup process.
The trucks picked up about 10,000 cubic yards of debris just Tuesday, Johnson said.
The trucks are starting in the hardest hit areas and will make up to three es on every street in the city.
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Be sure to stack your debris on the right-of-way next to the street but not in the street. And don’t burn it, Fire Chief Antonio Burden said.
It was scheduled to start Monday in Augusta, but officials said they decided to start Sunday night.
It couldn’t come fast enough for Augusta resident Paulette Edery.
“We had all these trees on the street here, then all the trees of the other house on the street and the one across was horrible. You couldn’t see anything, absolutely nothing. Just trees, one on top of the other,” she said.
It’s the same story, street after street.
“We were trapped from right, left, back and front,” said Edery. “Thankfully, our neighbor and his wife had been helping us the next morning to start chopping just to be able to get out.”
The mess will soon be gone.
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If the city can clean up the mess in 90 days, the federal government will pick up the tab.
City officials say it took 47 days to clean up the 870,000 cubic yards of debris from an infamous ice storm a decade ago.
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Right now, the crews are starting in areas south of Gordon Highway and in heavily hit areas, then they’ll radiate outward from there.
Heavily treed central parts of Augusta could be a challenge.
“It’s hit hard, and we’re gonna be busy,” said Steve Castle with contractor ISM.
The debris pickup is free, but you’ll need to leave it by the curb, on the right-of-way but not in the street. And make sure you leave space for your garbage and recycling carts.
Don’t mix household garbage or construction debris with the vegetation waste from the storm, officials say.
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There’s a lot to clean up, but Edery says that’s the least of her worries.
“Listen, I’m a fighter. I’m not a quitter. At this point, we cannot let Mother Nature put us down, and we need to keep on going and moving and make the best of what happened to us,” she said.
Even with all of the devastation, Edery says she’s thankful.
“I say, ‘Thank you, God,’ the most important for me. Even if my house had got damaged, as long as I’m alive with my family the next morning, I’m very thankful,” she said.
In Columbia County
Kyle Baxley, director of engineering services for Columbia County, estimated crews need to remove about a million cubic yards of debris.
The county has acquired six debris sites and is looking to add two more. Officials say 44 trucks are removing debris.
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Crews didn’t move a high volume in the first few days, but they’ve picked up the pace. They removed twice as much debris Sunday as in the first three days.
“Keep the debris out of the roadway as much as possible,” Baxley said. “I understand some people don’t have a lot of ideal property frontage to the road, but putting debris in the road is just causing more traffic issues throughout the county.”
Like Augusta, crews will make multiple es through neighborhoods.
In Aiken County
The city of Aiken will immediately suspend debris pile size restrictions as part of yard debris collection.
In Aiken County, debris can be left at the edge of the roadway but not in the roadway.
City and county officials say limbs, trunks and other fibrous material are a maximum of 6 feet long.
The debris should be left loose for pickup and not bagged.
If you see debris crews working, slow down and give them room to work, officials say.
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