In a previous update I noted the scale of debris cleanup ongoing as an outcome of Hurricane Ian. Several people made inquiries wanting to better understand the overall magnitude. So, I took some pictures today to share.
According to one of the debris contractor officials I incidentally bumped into, he shared how the debris cleanup was bid to the municipal regions using an actuarial formula from prior disaster recovery. It’s a pretty interesting, albeit heartbreaking, formula and overall process to understand.
After a geographic region is identified, an interim helicopter flight by specifically trained experts in the industry of debris removal is conducted. The general statistics applied to the contracts are for seven years’ worth of normal debris in the municipal region.
Meaning whatever tonnage is normally accumulated in municipal trash pickup over a year (garbage and recycling), that tonnage number is then multiplied by seven, and that’s the amount of debris anticipated during the initial hurricane debris removal. Seven years’ worth of ‘trash’.
More pictures below to help understand.
[Lee County] – […] “This debris profile is dramatically different that what we’ve experienced in the past from any storm that we’ve ever had to the memory of the most people in the room,” said County Manager Roger Desjarlais, a veteran of decades on the front lines during hurricanes, addressing commissioners.
“We have nine to 10 million cubic yards of debris countywide. In Irma it was something shy of two million,” Desjarlais said. “There is construction demolition debris that is just more than anything we have seen before.”
[…]Here are figures for estimated tons of debris created by Hurricane Ian and how much was collected in Lee communities during early collection activity:
-
- Unincorporated Lee:
- 3.5 million, 1.15 million collected
- Bonita Springs: 275,000, 135,000 collected
- Cape Coral: 2 million, 589,000 collected
- Estero: 150,000, 80,000 collected
- Fort Myers: 600,000, 320,000 collected
- Fort Myers Beach: 2.5 million, 202,000 collected
- Sanibel: 600,000, 110,000 collected.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday the state has come to an agreement with FEMA to expedite debris removal in residential communities as well as debris in commercial properties. (more)
♦DEBRIS – The scale of physical debris is jaw dropping. FEMA reimburses local municipalities for the first 60 days of debris removal effort and costs. The 60-day limit is intended as a financial incentive to kick municipalities into fast action. This incentive is not a bad concept. Factually, it’s one of the better FEMA legislative standards because it forces local government to act quickly. However, the scale of what they are trying to do is just intense.
The various municipal governments in the severe impact zones have a strategy to use the 60-day window to just collect as much as possible in interim geographic locations. Large empty lots (example below) are being utilized as fast dumps for massive piles of debris in this 60-day window. A claw truck can make a dozen fast runs (per day) locally to these interim dump sites, as opposed to driving long distances to landfills 30 to 50 miles away.
One of these 10-acre dump sites is less than a mile from me. I do not know how many of these exist; however, to see a full ten acres piled high with 10 to 20′ of debris gives me a sense of the scale of damage in this one small area within a region that must have hundreds of these interim sites. I have been to a dozen post-hurricane recovery areas and never seen debris like this.
The rough estimate is for 9 to 10 million tons.
Everything from destroyed construction material, to home furnishings, beds, appliances, parts of boats, roof parts, toys, patio furniture, pieces of cars, clothing, you name it, it’s all there. All now defined under the term “debris.” However, each piece of debris representing the former life of a family impacted by this storm. The trucks just keep coming, day and night 24/7. [Logistics tower for one 10-acre collection site pictured below]
In the bigger picture, when you think about what is represented, it’s a sullen site to bear witness to… Any person of reasonable Christian disposition would just cry. They have fenced off these interim dumping sites, and they have erected lights and temporary crane towers to seemingly assist the logistics of what goes where, but my God the scale of it is humbling. This is just one site utilized for an area of what seems to be approximately 5 square miles. Expand that scale to hundreds of similar 10-acre sites. Yeah, tears.
Eventually I assume these interim sites will be cleared one truckload at a time to the inner state landfills and recycle facilities. That phase will likely take years.
That’s a small snapshot.
Multiple those images times several thousand streets and similar areas.
Now you know what things look like.
Now you also know why Starfish Kid stays focused on the two feet in front of him…
…. If you look up for too long, the whispers of despair will try to get you.
Steadfast, with No Quit!
Love to all,
~ Sundance
Be blessed, Sundance ✝️
Sundance, your earlier comments about the quality of the work crews showing up to get the damage repaired and cleaned up were spot on. There is a particular, very distinct, American demographic that I think represents the very finest American values. Costal cosmopolites are generally mystified about people who have the kind of skills-set that allows them to confidently appear in Fla. immediately after a historically destructive hurricane and . . . simply get to work fixing things. I saw this happen in Houston immediately after hurricane Harvey when, seemingly out of nowhere, guys started spontaneously showing up, putting their bass boats in the water, and started rescuing people. This is what real Americans do. We should be thankful that, despite the depredations of the hard left, they still exist. We are all better because of them.
Houston area floods badly, heavy rains cause extreme loss, learned that in the 2 years had to live there.
Probably Houston is built on future rice paddies.
Its actually built on current rice paddies.
I lived in the Houston metro district for over 12 years and only suffered twice with any kind of destruction of my property from any kind of natural disaster. Once was Hurricane Alicia, when we lost two small pine trees and one side of our fence collapsed. The other time was on Christmas day when the copper tubing they use for water pipes froze up and split in my attic and ruined the back bathroom in the house. In Houston, it never freezes for more than a few hours during the coldest nights of the year and that time we had below freeze temperatures for about 72 hours. Yes, they run water lines through the attics on one story houses where there is not a basement. I never thought Houston was more prone to disasters than anywhere else I have lived. But I am glad I wasn’t around for the 100 year flood caused by 20 to 50 inches of continuous rainfall. My sister-in-law was around at that time and nobody could go anywhere on the roads and there was lots of flood damage in most areas of Houston.
Was there in 2016/17 the place was a mess just from rain, then Harvey hit while I was on the way back to FL.
Had guys that worked for me lose most everything—twice. I was lucky my place was high enough not to be affected.
hah I live in the uper midwest and found out about 10 yrs ago that my newly bought house built in eatly 60s had water pipes for 2d fl bath run through uninsulated attic. Hired guy to wrap/insulate them. Got lucky.
I should have mentioned that in my comment. By the time we returned to our home after Harvey, my sons were clearing debris from our yard when FEMA workers showed up to help. America really comes together in a wonderful way after a disaster. We had churches of all denominations, food and water from Walmart and particularly from our local TEXAS grocers HEB who were here immediately. They had trucks ready to go before the storm was close, they could be anywhere it hit. Too many donations of clothing from churches and clubs all across the country. Eventually there was so much it could not be properly handled. Samaritans Purse was here and did not leave until needed in Florida. They built a huge metal building as a gift to the community. The Amish and Mennonites showed up to build and repair houses. God Bless America.
I was in Hurricane Sandy – lived on Wall St in a high rise bldg, on the 19th floor.
Lost all power – no electricity, and no water. On the third day I walked down 19 flights of blacked out stairs wells to an empty street. There was not the red cross nor any semblance of moving life. We were in the impact zone. No one to offer water after 3 days of thirst. This was NYC.
The buildings flooded, streets were flooded for a month after.
That is just sad. I have a friend who was in New Jersey with his aunt, her house was totaled. I really don’t remember details of help, but I do remember sending money to help them. These storms leave a lasting damage on a lot of people. There have been quite a few suicides for such a small town, one I knew personally just could not afford to rebuild his house that was completely destroyed by one of the many tornadoes in the eye wall. Many have moved away, and yet many have moved here to retire and as an elderly I can tell you, old people don’t need to be having that hassle.
Good spirited people are everywhere. One simply has to move off personal centerline to see it. For example, I reached end game last week with a serious, major operation. Two days in the hospital afforded me the opportunity to see the whole hierarchical ladder from the doc through the various functional shifts. The bottom rungs of the ladder (e.g., floor sweeps, bathroom cleaners through to blood pressure/temp checkers) were staffed by kind folks working hard during all hours of the day in service of others.
Yes. Bills have to be paid. But there are plenty kind folks – across the spectrum.
My county (Pasco) on the west side has an incinerator. No idea how long it would take to pass that kind of volume through it.
DeSantis should send it to NY.
“A claw truck can make a dozen fast runs (per day) locally to these interim dump sites,”
Until the diesel runs out in 25 days.
Waste Management is the contract holder for all residential here for this east coast county. As noted before they have been absent for claw truck yard debris since storm, they returned this last week full bore cleaning the piles by the street.
The money came from a different pot so they followed the money, glad they were able to help, we may (will) need help someday—we’ve had our share of storms don’t need anymore.
the 25 days is storage supply. diesel is refined every day. That “25 days” could increase to 26 or more depending on demand, or it could decrease too. If we stopped refining and importing completely, then we would run out in less than 25 days because of people stocking up. Statements like that are designed to raise diesel prices through fear and hoarding. Hoarding is different than prepping/stocking, as hoarding is for profit.
Here in this (german) article are some pictures and reports about spontanos first responders after the catastrophic flood (caused by heavy rain) in Germany last year. Tremendous help then. Now of course, the residents are still struggling to get the promised money and so on … https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/panorama/katastrophen/id_90522968/landwirte-als-fluthelfer-an-der-ahr-wir-haben-keine-befehlskette-wir-machen-.html
Once the “main press” moves on, which is usually quickly, most people never give the storm aftermath (or other conflagration) another thought.
But this series of articles and the “pictures of today” show the lingering reality or “overall magnitude” of it all. Sundance mentioned that local municipal govt’s have a plan but are the state and Fed gov’ts continuing to step up? Fema is mentioned as still funding the recovery but is it enough and not being held back by Biden’s handlers?
Still hoping for the speediest recovery for all Floridians effected.
Beware the fungus and the fungal pulmonary infections to any and all people working with hurricane flooding debris. Also, interiors of houses that require tearing out plaster and drywall /sheetrock replacement from the hurricane caused flooding.
Fungal infection can disseminate throughout the body. I know.
About killed me three years ago and the cure is not much better.
I just got back from Charlotte County. Will be screened regularly for the next several months…
For some reason reading this comment immediately brought to mind to use nasal cleansing techniques like the sinus flush kits of Neil Med or the Xlear nasal sprays with xylitol that supposedly clear out the sinuses, supposedly flushes away or kills germs and such.
I imagine it’s a lingering habit of being the first one to grab the medicine go-bag that immediately brought these thoughts up – pulmonary infections are very nasty things.
In seeing the photos – wow! The immensity of the debris is overwhelming. Wonder if the idea will be to simply burn those piles and then haul away what is left?
Nettie pot with saline solution
Nasaline with saline solution is far superior and much faster to use than np.
Apple cider vinegar, with “Mother”, 50/50 with water, or as strong as you can tolerate.
Yes, it has a burning sensation, and in order to totally kill the sinus infection, snort some up, plug your nose with your mouth closed, and ‘blow’ i.e. increase the pressure, to push it back into all the sinuses.
THEN tilt your head back, and let it drain.
Affirmative….
OZONE Machines are available, and can be gotten
at fairly inexpensive prices. Read Cautions and Instructions.
One must not be in dwelling while the OZONE Machine is doing
its “remediation” circulating O3. O3 usually reverts back to
ambient air conditions, and letting the dwelling vent out for
a while.
Would be good to use Air Scrubbers like these and good cleaning prior:
https://www.airmovers.com/air-cleaning/air-scrubbers/dri-eaz-hepa-500-air-scrubber-negative-air-machine.html
Chucks… how can I forget?
‘Using Thieves Essential Oil for Mold Prevention and Elimination by Dr. Ed Close and Jacqui Close.’
Watch, look and do closely
Off the top of my head, this is how to mix Thieves Essential Oil:
4 Parts – Clove Essential Oil
3.5 Parts – Lemon Essential Oil
3 Parts – Cinammon Essential Oil
2 Parts – Eucalyptus Essential Oil
1 Part – Roemary Essential Oil
Typo
Should be – 1 Part – Rosemary Essential Oil (not Roemary)
Every living thing is removed from the building / house. Even house plants. Windows and door sealed.
All oxygen is killed/removed. Nothing lives after treatment. No oxygen for 3 days. Open up 3 days later and let oxygen back in.
It even kills bedbugs!! 🙂
Yes, depending on the square footage one is treating,
and OZONE Machine capacity. It cound be hours to days
of treatment. In many cases, it could just be just hours
of OZONE treatment, making sure good fanning around is being
carried throughout the house/building, like leaving the A/C
fan function on, etc.
Most OZONE Machines have timers on them, and even a “HOLD”
feature. If one leaves it on “HOLD”, then you take a deep deep breath,
walk into the house, unplug the OZONE Machine, open up as many windows
as possible, leave the door open, and do it again and again until all
windows are open, then go away for a few hours and catch your breath 🙂
I have read on instructions of one particular OZONE Machine that after treatment
it takes from 1/2 hour to hour for the 03 to reconvert, if that is what is called, and room
back into regular ambient air quality.
But yes, do make sure all is well ventilated after OZONE Machine treatment.
Even if one uses on car/vehicle too.
Now is the time for N95 masks. N95’s are designed for construction workers. Specifically to filter large particles floating from sawing wood and pipe, cutting tile, drywall and flooring, moving soil and debris. You buy them in hardware stores on the aisle with safety vests and protective goggles.
Add to the floating bits of debris, the ‘rubber’ contributed from thousands of rescue vehicles, workers cars, and hard working trucks shedding tire tread 24/7 for years, add the fumes. The power of the photos can be translated to include the invisible which usually shows up later, numerically, in medical offices as part of the aftermath.
Keep going, just amazing sobering insight. I stop and think of the simplicity of the smallest comforts, securities, necessities, the happiness of a hamburger and fries, a private bathroom, jumping in your car or pickup, startup and go. Anywhere you need to. Tank is full. The absence of birds and land animals. Each must ask themself if normal will return in their lifetime. Your account, Sundance, continues to unfold a long term expectation. Little by little, the photos, facts and figures explain the eyesore and heart sore. If you stay we’ll cheer your resolve to your future. If you leave we’ll do the same.
Yes, some will, and should, have a steady income for years of cleanup and rebuilding before they move away. I suspect many will discover their minds reliving the Hurricane, their Souls triggered by the debris and sounds, and that being safe is part of healing.
At least N95 masks do work pretty well against mold spores and dust. Definitely take precautions if working in recovery efforts. Also steel or composite toe boots–got a couple of mangled toes from stuff falling on my feet while clearing debris that used to be heavy furniture. I wear steel or composite toes for virtually all work now.
Like cleaning up the dust and debris at the Twin Towers. Many people suffered respiratory illness from being there day after day. This is the type of thing wearing masks actually help with.
Like Buloxi and most of the Mississippi coast, and Louisanna too.
Phantasmal photos, perhaps incomprehensible scale of damage to inexperienced persons like myself.
Those magnet bars hung from front and rear bumpers of response vehicles would seem useful.
I have pictures from Sandy that hit Jersey 10 years ago October. Its the same scale and magnitude of trash, sand, infrastructure, and debris. I also have pictures from Puerto Rico after Maria in 2017. Storms wreak havoc and take time to recover. Head down and keep shoveling.
Had a retired man who HAD a house in Jersey along with his winter place here on east coast. At breakfast one morning he said that the house was gone but power company still was trying to bill him, we asked if the mail box was still there and was he going to build a new house reply was no on both. We asked why care, all had a laugh.
Kinda hard to fathom even WITH the pics! Rebuild, wash and rinse, then repeat! Time after time! All that for nice weather in January, February, and March??? No thank you, I’ll take the snow shoveling here up north. Gives one a much broader perception of all natural disasters, Tornado Alley, earthquake zones, war zones, etc. Mother nature sure can be cruel at times! Yes tears are there in my eyes, THE DESTRUCTION! Now I can better realize the evil of the Clintons! Thank you Sundance for this education!
Revisit these sites a year from now (before and after pictures) showing this total devastation and then the results of our “can do” attitude and that “one foot in front of the other” perseverance true Americans have.
I wonder the wisdom of building certain type houses in areas that are more prone to this kind of devastation. The USA is huge and many areas do not face anywhere near the same level of risk from storms. If there is no cost effective way to adapt in order to rebuild and stay in the same area, should the residents not seriously consider moving? Perhaps Sundance can follow this up with stories of people who have previously been struck by a devastating storm and have adapted successfully.
They do have building protocols in place and construction techniques to help. I have a friend that has built and lived in multiple houses on the east coast in Florida. I think he told me it has concrete in the structure and the roof is rated for winds up to 150 mph (cat 4, I believe). It’s not cheap but I think he saves on not having to get hurricane insurance. I think I heard the houses built like this (newer construction), in this hurricanes path faired pretty well.
My oncologist cousin rebuilt our family’s 1850 two story wood beach house that withstood every hurricane until Katrina’s over 30′ storm surge. He rebuilt it with concrete columns that tie the wind proof roof to the concrete slab. First floor is raised. Good for another 172 years now?
“Too Strong Never Broke” was my father’s family motto. Yes, build correctly on higher ground can work fine.
See photo below of a raised concrete hurricane proof house, the only one that withstood the hurricane that leveled Mexico Beach, FL a few years ago. Seeing is believing.
DH had a construction company when we lived in FL 2000-2016 and he built the houses that use foam blocks, rebar and concrete. I think they were called echo block houses. He built a couple in North Port. I don’t remember the addresses and would be interested in seeing how they withstood the storm.
Speechless.
Pictures bring back thoughts of Andrew, what a mess. The second story of one house would get a different address next door. It really was a driving factor in the new building codes and the Miami/ Dade standard.
To this day when driving on the turnpike you see the piles that are now grass covered but some can remember what’s that green cover.
During the 2004 season there piles similar thru-out the state, east coast, west coast, panhandle, the storms just kept coming and make a u-turn and return to a different locale.
I remember looking at photos and videos of Andrew, and being stunned, realizing for the first time the real forces of nature.
Having my home hit extremely hard and partially destroyed by a hurricane a few years back I remember the absolute scale of rubbish every where…..
Things that were looked after possessions …………….now simply garbage. Many items hundreds of yards away.
There was not a single leaf on a tree after a Cat 4…………… Wont forget being that.
Claw trucks…had never really heard of a claw truck. Now they are EVERYWHERE. And the traffic. Plan for a normal trip to work to take at least twice as long.
my company participated in the cleanup in Martin County and adjacent areas in 2003 and 2004. it takes months for the psyche of the affected person to return to normal
Thanks, I’m still here, was a rough couple years for having storms. 2005 was not much fun either.
I remember driving around Escambria Bay in 2004 because sections of the I-10 bridges were missing after hurricane Ivan.
I will never forget all the debris piled along the roads around Milton, and the huge pile of debris on a multiacre site where they were burning the worldly goods of thousands of people.
A first person observation from 3 weeks in the Port Charlotte area and not a judgement.
A lot of folks in areas of less than total devastation are using this event to clean out then garage and such.
Have a dead washing machine or an old couch sitting in the garage and no good way to haul it off?
Drag it to the side of the road as if it were hurricane damage refuse.
Second observation. Entrepreneurial spirit in action.
Lots of folks out picking the aluminum siding out of the piles to sell to scrap yards!
That material won’t be going to a land fill.
Wanted a white PVC fence but couldn’t afford it? A bazzilion pieces of six foot platic fence broken off at the ground is available to put up as 5 foot fence! 😉
Goodness gracious…entire towns are in those dumps. A persons hard work and labor of love is in there. It is heartbreaking. Having said that, thank goodness the land fills are of debris and not bodies.
Thanks SD….for sharing the ongoing cleanup effort after Ian.
Might be reasonable. Have you seen any serious discussion?
I can imagine greenies driving from meeting to meeting to scream.
A little perspective from Asaph:
When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
And from his Lord:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Unimaginable!
Heartbreaking.
It took Biloxi, MS ten years to recover from Cat 5, Hurricane Camille and the post Katrina trash piles in the Lake View neighborhood of New Orleans was ginormous, a least a mile long and 300 yards wide.
“Multiplied by Seven” is also applicable to Marxist Dim/MSM Lies in an election year. Mores the Pity.
Wow! I’m in Citrus County, to think that could have been us!
There must be a way to construct buildings and infrastructure that is more resistant to this.
It doesn’t make sense to me to just rebuild the same way and then go through this same tragedy every couple of decades.
Much of the destruction was caused by storm surge. The remediation for this is raised homes on pilings.
Correct, as well as hardening the structure against wind-blown debris. Yet, my guess is when they rebuild they will just rebuild wood-framed houses at the ground level.
A similar problem is not building to deal with wildfire-prone areas. Every couple of decades a big fire breaks out and burns the entire town down.
And, there are fairly obvious ways to build a house in an area of potential “forest fires”, and houses still standing, while all around is devastation.
It CAN be done.
Spaul, there is a Florida Building Code, which is a practical in Florida’s current economy. [The code is on the Internet.] … The Hurricane Ian also caused a large amount of Water Movement and Rain.
“A storm surge with inundation of an unprecedented 12 to 18 feet above ground level was reported along the southwestern Florida coast, and the city of Fort Myers itself was hit particularly hard with a 7.26 foot surge—a record high.”
…. … +”extreme rainfall became particularly destructive, producing 1-in-1000-year amounts in some places. For example, Placida, north of where Ian’s eye made landfall, received more than 15 inches of rain over 12 hours, and Lake Wales, in central Florida, reported nearly 17 inches of rain within 24 hours.” [Internet[
The best advice given during the Hurricane was ~Evacuate.
It’s living on barrier islands that causes this. You see the beach basically coming into your home since you live 20 feet from the Gulf.
Clearly you’re correct. But then….the irony of BBB and the unspoken laughter of the WEF; first, what is, has to be destroyed.
In unicorporated Sarasota County (the County minus Sarasota City, Venice and North Port) last week there was a report a million cubic yards of vegetation waste had been removed already. Irma’s debris was around 300 thousand cubic yards. They are not done with Ian either.
The vegetation is being ground into mulch. Dunno if they are planning to deal with mulch pile fires, but this is likely unless it is used and spreaded.
The flotsam and jetsam of life on land. The sheer size of the possessions now dispossessed is amazing.
Are there salvage people working through the junk? Lumber that can be salvaged. Washing machines, dryers, and refrigerators that can be fixed. Furniture that can be restored. People are going to need those things and if they can be restored cheaply, it would be worth it to gather and fix. Maybe the sheer size of the piles prevents that from being an option.
After Hugo, I was helping to haul branches, ruined stuff, and junk to the dump. There on one of the piles I spied a beautiful carved walnut buffet top from the early 20th century. I crawled over the pile and pulled it down. It is now refinished and restored, a broken part replaced with a newly carved walnut spindle, a walnut bottom shelf added, and hung on a wall.
Thank you for sharing these images. It is overwhelming.
I wonder about the young lady who was (incorrectly) accusing Sundance of “hyping” the storm before it hit. She seemed overly confident that she would be fine–I hope her arrogance wasn’t her downfall.
Well … this explains why Louisiana debris cleanup takes forever to be cleaned up … a corrupt bidding process – followed by collecting the money – then followed by collecting the debris, eventually.
It is very humbling and prayer inducing…to see the homes and personal possessions of the residents, reduced to piles in a ‘trash lot’. What we all take for granted…our homes, cars, furniture, pictures, washer, dryer, stove, ‘fridge…and the list goes on.
It gives new meaning to the idea of “you can’t take it with you”.
Sundance and all the rest of you out there…you are made of tougher stuff than I am. No doubt about it. May God Bless all of you and make the rest of recovery, easier in every way He can!
Thanks for keeping us updated. It’s for sure the media has completely forgotten this. I can only pray for everyone’s strength.
I can’t imagine Sundance how you are holding up under this horrific storm. Sounds a tad like this one got to you deep down, take it 2 feet at a time as you say all will get through it. My heart goes out to all who have been uprooted and left homeless and for all who are working hard to put it back together.
Mind blowing.
What will they do about voting?
I have a friend that finds old dryers, pulls them apart to take the metal drums out. He uses them to build outdoor fire pits. Once he is done they are quite nice. It is a shame some of that debris can’t be recycled into other useful items.
So disheartening to see. Thank you for the update and bringing your experience to us. Power on and stay safe, try to get some rest.
It may be rare,
but occasionally,
a tough cost / benefit decision
is perhaps made.
It’s not like there were gobs of undeveloped, open spaces just waiting around to become an interim ( 2 month to 5 year) dump site.
Instead of gathering and trucking to a separate nearby, open site…
(this is not a good feeling for those that had a total loss…)…
Fence off of an area of destroyed buildings, a one time neighborhood / mall – to become the sacrificial lambs so as to help others…
…and make that the interim ( 2 month to 5 year ) debris site for the rest of a neighborhood.
Eventually, years, after clean up, the site can be redeveloped / restored.
( can a legal property owner, charge rent for debris storage on their legal, total loss property? )
Not fun to sort through / solve. No doubt.
p.s.
apparently the weather, post Ian, has been helpful in the
git r done ( core infrastructure fixing)
/ clean up
/ rebuilding process.
That’s a chore – and then some, no doubt.
Thanks for info on how they make a big estimate / plan the process.
Count the blessings.
Love thy neighbors
During the Depression people would glean that stuff. Some would build shanties out of it to live in. Nowadays, there’s too many rules and too much safety to allow recycling and recovery. Things, and people, are controlled.
The rest of my thoughts are not consistent with the community guidelines so I’ll leave it at that.
We live on Clearwater Beach where Ian was first expected to hit. We say prayers every day for South Florida recovering sooner rather than later. God Bless Governor DeSantis, all those working to remove the 10 million tons of trash, rebuilding roads, bridges, buildings and to all the residents who lost so much. There are no words. Sundance, you have been and continue to be a blessing and inspiration, in so many lives every day and in more ways than you can realize. Our Father … Amen
If the rubble was only wood and stone. But it’s shingles compounded with chemicals, carpeting and flooring, ditto. Floats up from the heat of the fires, meets the cool air and travels to rain down in another storm in another state, nation, ocean. Not pleading ‘green’. Warning, there are consequences magnified when there’s this much rubble. You get just one set of lungs and one set of eyes.
Sadly familiar. The debris field depicted was about 100 yards wide and .5 mile long, just for the New Orleans Lakeview neighborhood. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/blast-from-the-past–5066618301753592/
Very interesting about the 7x formula.
There’s a lot of opportunity for enterprising folks who can work on “white goods”.
Just keep repeating;
“How do you eat an elephant?,..1 bite at a time!”
Fascinating stuff – and as I think on the phrase “industry experts in debris removal” a contract needs to be drawn up and these experts dispatched anywhere the federal govt has offices.
My friend is a metal sculptor who uses old pieces of metal to make amazing pieces.
And he’s a quadriplegic – for the last 40 years.
Still going strong.
I’m looking at these piles and thinking what must still be useful.
How does a quadriplegic do metal sculpture? Does he do computer design for someone else to do the actual work?
After Harvey hit our town of Rockport, TX debris was piled between the North/South sections of Hiway 35. It went on for probably 3 or 4 miles. Huge piles of trees, household debris, and housing debris. We are a small town of approximately 20,000 and of course there would not be as much as from the larger area hit in Florida. It was remarkable to see how the debris was eventually separated with the different materials sectioned out. Like Florida, we have many retirees and winter Texas, snowbirds, so there were many RV’s in the mix. So much aluminum and steel, with copper in the wiring and motors, it was also a money maker for the contractors.
We now have so many who were displaced living in even more RV’s, we have practically paved over the peninsula to hold them. It had been 30 years since the area took a direct hit, and it was only a cat 3 so people had never expected it to happen again. But it did, and it will.
Thank you for posting these Sundance. It’s very hard to comprehend the destruction, damage, and after affects.
Seeing the destruction all day every day truly gets depressing if one allows themselves to “gaze long into the abyss”… the sad, droopy trees, the damaged homes and what would surely be a mountain of debris were it not scattered all over creation in various sizes…it can make one tired….(Rita, Ike, Humberto, Harvey and the recent very near misses that clobbered SW Louisiana)….winter will be dreary but spring and summer will bring healing and life renewed…hang in there, Crackers, it’s gonna get mo’ bettah…
That was really wise to prioritize cleanup of the areas where people live. After so much loss and destruction, people need to be able to bring that to a close, clear the decks so they can start fresh on the next phase of their lives.