Last pass for tornado debris pickup scheduled

(From the City of Joplin)

In little more than a week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will begin a last pass through the cities of Joplin and Duquesne, as well as other storm-affected areas of Jasper County, to pick up any remaining tornado debris from curbsides and public rights-of-way.

The last pass effort begins July 22, so residents must make every effort to move remaining debris from their properties to within 10 feet of the street. At that time, USACE contractors will begin working through all tornado-impacted areas – both inside and outside of the Expedited Debris Removal area – to pick up storm-related debris.

“It’s very important for everyone who still has debris on their properties to help us meet this last big push,” said Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr. “We know how hard our citizens, volunteers and contractors have been working to clean up Joplin and we really appreciate those efforts. But we need to keep the momentum going. If your property is already cleared and you can help a neighbor or friend clean off theirs, that’s even better.”

The last pass call includes these important reminders:

§ Segregate debris at the curbside into the following six categories: Vegetative, White Goods, Electronics, Household Hazardous Waste, Construction Debris and Small, Motorized Equipment, such as those powered by small gasoline engines.

§ Don’t stack debris on top of fire hydrants, gas meters, or electrical service boxes.

§ Don’t add debris to specially-marked piles that are already segregated, such as those with suspected asbestos-containing materials or other hazards.

§ Don’t gather debris in black garbage bags and place on the curbside. Instead, pile debris loosely on the curbside, unless it can pose a hazard by blowing around. In that case, gather it in clear, plastic bags and drop off at the Citizen’s Drop-Off site, 901 N. Black Cat Rd., open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice.

Commercial debris must be hauled away to a proper landfill. It cannot be pushed to the curb as it is not generally considered eligible for federal reimbursement and/or direct pickup under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) public assistance program guidelines.

§ This includes debris from residential rental units such as apartments, condos, four-plexes and others, to retail and service businesses.

Debris that remains on properties after the last pass will become the responsibility of the property owner to remove or arrange for someone to haul off to a licensed landfill. Standing, tornado-damaged structures are not required to be demolished by this deadline.