A week into Hurricane Isaias debris collection, Okaloosa County officials say their contractor’s first pass should take about a week, while Fort Walton Beach estimates its contractor will need about a month to cover the entire city.
Both plan additional passes once the first is complete.
During the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners meeting Tuesday, County Administrator John Hofstad updated commissioners on the county’s debris removal contractor, which began making its push through the county last week.
- “Our plan is once that’s done, we’ll give the folks time to get more debris out and make a secondary push,” Hofstad said.
Deputy County Administrator Jason Autrey said crews started on the south end of the county Oct. 14, and he believed work on the north end began Sunday. He outlined how residents should prepare their debris for pickup.
“They’re going to make a first pass and make sure that you cut it down to no longer than 8 feet, get it up to the curb line off of private property, keep it away from fire hydrants, mailboxes, parked cars, that kind of stuff, so that way the debris collection doesn’t damage other items that are out there,” Autrey said.
Autrey said the county expects the first push to take about a week, though it may take a little longer. Crews will then make a second push along the same routes, he said.
Fort Walton Beach
In a separate update to residents Tuesday, the City of Fort Walton Beach said it has contracted with DRC Emergency Services LLC, a national company that specializes in disaster cleanup and recovery, to handle storm debris in the city’s residential neighborhoods.
Under the contract, DRC is responsible for collecting all hurricane-related vegetative debris, such as trees and bushes, as well as construction debris, such as fencing, docks and drywall, according to the city.
- The city said it is able to provide the service because the cost is reimbursable by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA determines the collection process the city and its contractors must follow to be eligible for reimbursement.
Every load picked up by DRC must be documented and measured in cubic yards at the disposal site, the Wright Yard Waste Facility at 1671 N. Beal Extension, the city said. The collection process is monitored by a third-party contractor, Tetra Tech, and does not involve the city’s sanitation department.
DRC began work at the point farthest from the disposal site and is working toward the nearest point. Three trucks and crews began collecting debris in the Elliotts Point neighborhood on Oct. 14 and, as of Tuesday, were working near Waynel Circle.
The city said it does not control DRC’s schedule and cannot say exactly when crews will reach specific neighborhoods. DRC crews are working seven days a week from sunup to sundown and are collecting a substantial amount of debris from most of the homes they have passed so far, according to the city.
The city estimates DRC will complete its first pass of the entire city in about a month, though officials stressed that figure is only an estimate. Inclement weather, debris in bags, piles that mix vegetative and construction materials, and debris piled beneath utility lines and tree canopies could all cause delays, the city said.
DRC also has debris removal contracts in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. As cleanups in those communities are completed, the city said it expects DRC to shift some of those resources to Fort Walton Beach, which officials hope will speed up the process and make second and third passes, if needed, go faster.
“We realize this is frustrating; everyone wants the debris cleaned up. But this will be a lengthy process, and we ask for your patience as we work to get our city back to normal as quickly and safely as possible,” the city said.
Residents can track the progress of debris collection in Fort Walton Beach on a dashboard set up by Tetra Tech at tt-emi.maps.arcgis.com.
