MANATEE COUNTY — On Tuesday, commissioners received an update on the county’s ongoing debris removal operations and the estimated financial impact of damages and recovery following Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.
Manatee County Utilities Director Patrick Shea opened the presentation for commissioners, and the county’s CFO, Shelia McLean, concluded it.
In his opening remarks, Shea highlighted the record-setting response undertaken by the local government agency through a multi-departmental response.
According to Shea, nearly every county department, including the departments of public safety, property management, public works, utilities, and financial management, has played some role in response and recovery.
As of close on Friday, Nov. 22, the county had collected 1,801,801 cubic yards of debris in more than 35,000 truckloads—more than half of the estimated total debris needing to be hauled.
For perspective, a cubic yard is about the size of a standard kitchen dishwasher.
Shea told commissioners, “As we talk about volume and the number of trucks, as well as the financial impacts related to the hurricanes, the staff is constantly reminded that these are people’s belongings and property that we’re talking about. We’re very respectful and understanding of the damage and devastation caused by not one, not two, but three hurricanes.”
Working with contracted debris haulers, Manatee County has been running 80 trucks with more than 118 hauling units.
Despite the progress, many residents are still waiting for debris to be hauled from their streets or neighborhoods. Some residents have taken to posting on social media about their remaining debris or asking in online community groups how they can request a pick-up.
Director Shea acknowledged that some residents are still waiting but reassured them that haulers continue to make rounds and will continue to do so “until the work is done.”
During his presentation, Shea shared information from the county’s Debris Dashboard, which is available on the county government’s website.
The dashboard provides daily progress data about Manatee County’s debris-hauling operations and progress, including number of truckloads, cubic yards hauled, types of debris managed, and a map that displays debris zones and current status.
The debris zones are color-coded to assist property owners in identifying where a mapped area or neighborhood is in the hauling operations. Zones are listed as (red) currently being cleared, (yellow) next in line, (blue) waiting in queue, or (green) substantially complete.
The county's website also has a self-reporting tool just below the debris dashboard. Property owners can complete an electronic submission form to report debris that still needs to be removed.
“Don’t be too concerned if we haven’t yet gotten to you,” Shea said of residents still waiting for debris hauling. “We are going neighborhood by neighborhood to make sure all debris is picked up.”
Shea added that the county would continue to make multiple passes and residents should use the self-reporting tool for any debris they believe was missed or is still waiting for haulers.
Ahead of storm season, the county identified 1,000 acres that could potentially be utilized as Debris Management Sites (DMS). The sites are located throughout the county and approved by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The DMS locations are designated by the types of debris the specific location can receive.
Hurricane debris is identified and separated by category or type. These include vegetative debris, construction debris, household appliances (“white debris”), vehicles and vessels, hazardous waste such as pool chemicals, pesticides, or cleaning agents, as well as sand debris.
Not only are the DMS locations pre-designated to handle specific types of debris, but the hauler trucks are also equipped to haul only one sort of debris or another.
During his presentation, Shea explained that occasionally, the county receives emails or calls from residents who report a hauling truck passing by their home while removing debris from neighboring properties.
Shea said that when a resident sees this happen, it is most likely due to one of three reasons.
One reason is the type of debris the hauler truck is collecting. For example, if the hauler is actively collecting construction debris, it must pass over vegetative or other sorts of debris, as different types of debris cannot be intermingled.
Another reason a truck may pass by one residence while collecting on a street is that it has reached its maximum capacity and needs to return to a DMS for disposal.
However, a more common reason that one house on a street or in a neighborhood might be passed by while surrounding homes have their debris collected is due to the mixing of different types of debris into a single pile.
To be collected, property owners must separate all debris when placed at the road. Haulers are unable to separate the debris during collection operations, so intermingled debris cannot be picked up for disposal.
Photos taken by the county two weeks ago showed the current state of some of the DMS sites. The photos captured various stages of material segregation and processing.
So, where does all the debris go after it has been processed at a DMS location?
Debris is broken down at the DMS locations and then hauled off to a final disposal site. The county’s goal is to keep as much storm debris as possible out of the county landfill. Instead, the county has contracted with its haulers to utilize for-profit landfill sites outside of the county for the final disposal of much of the debris.
The county estimates that by the time debris hauling operations close, there will have been between 2.5 million and 3 million cubic yards of storm debris hauled, sorted, and disposed of.
Concerning the progress of the debris operations, Shea said the county hopes to have the “first pass” completed county-wide by Thanksgiving.
The county is working on a 90-day FEMA reimbursement requirement. To receive 100% reimbursement, all debris operations—including closure of the DMS locations—must be completed by Jan. 11.
Shea displayed a presentation slide showing the 31-day mark in debris cleanup following Hurricanes Irma and Ian compared to current debris operations following Helene and Milton. Shea told commissioners, “This gives you an idea of the magnitude of not only the storms and the debris but also the response.”
On Tuesday, Manatee County CFO McLean had more good news to share with commissioners.
“We know that Helene hit us hard, and Milton hit us even more,” McLean said as she opened her presentation. “But is the county prepared? Does the county have enough reserves? That is the question you all have been asking yourselves.”
According to McLean, the answer is “yes.”
“With us being part of a coastal community, our reserve funds are important to keep at a level that when a rainy day would come, we would be in a good place,” McLean said. “That rainy day has come, and we are in a really good place.”
The estimated damages from Hurricanes Helene and Milton total nearly $122 million. Following Helene, Manatee County received FEMA approval for public assistance disbursements for all available recovery categories, with additional expedited payments approved following Milton’s impacts.
With a “healthy” reserve fund and FEMA reimbursements, the county is well positioned financially for response and recovery, McLean explained.
McLean told commissioners that the next important step for the county is reviewing how to best manage the reserves “more conservatively” to recover faster while mitigating the total impact on the reserve funds.
Click here to access the PDF slideshow presentation shared with commissioners on storm recovery and debris operations.
Click the video below to replay the entire Hurricane Debris Response Update from the Nov. 19, 2024, BOCC land use meeting.
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kmskepton
This has been a mammoth undertaking. Very pleased with their progress.
Sunday, November 24 Report this