Biloxi’s debris-removal crews today reached a milestone: More than 1 million cubic yards of storm debris have now been removed from city streets and neighborhoods.
The achievement comes on Day 60 of the city’s debris-removal efforts, but Mayor A.J. Holloway said that much work remains to be done.
“Our debris-removal teams and the debris monitors have been working long days, and they’re doing a good job,” Holloway said today. “As pleased as I am with the efforts, I also realize that there’s still quite a bit of work to be done. Our estimates are that even though we’ve moved over a million cubic yards of debris, we have about three million more cubic yards to be moved.
“We’ve moved about 25 percent of the debris at this point, and we’re going to make sure to stay on the job until we get it all.”
An average of 12,000 to 13,000 cubic yards of debris is hauled each day by the 30 to 50 debris-removal teams working on any given day in Biloxi, according to Jonathan Kiser of the firm Neel-Schaffer, which is overseeing the debris-removal initiative in Biloxi.
Kiser reported that the 1.01 million cubic yards that had been removed as of this afternoon would be enough debris to cover a football field and stand 47 stories high.
“We were able to haul larger volumes of debris at the outset because we were moving it from city streets and off public property,” Kiser said. “Once we started going onto private property, the process slowed somewhat because we’ve been careful to make sure we had the proper Right of Entry agreements in place to protect the city and the rights of the individual property owners. We’re making sure to do it all by the book, and that it’s all being done within FEMA guidelines.”
Holly Hills debris meeting moved to county courthouse in Biloxi
A debris-removal meeting for Holly Hills property owners scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m. has been moved from Biloxi City Hall to the Harrison County Courthouse, two blocks north of City Hall.
The meeting, where Holly Hills homeowners may appeal the city’s intentions to remove debris from their property, will be held in the ground-floor board room of the Biloxi courthouse, which is at the corner of Lameuse Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in downtown Biloxi.
To learn more about the debris removal efforts, click here.
Registration for ‘Operation: Blue Roof’ ends Friday
Homeowners hoping to apply for temporary roof repairs have until 6 p.m. Friday to register for the free service.
FEMA, MEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have announced that the “Operation: Blue Roof” registration will be discontinued at the end of the day on Nov. 11.
Those interested in having the temporary plastic sheeting installed on their home can learn more about the program by calling 24-hour Blue Roof info line at 1-888-766-3258. Applicants will be required to sign a right-of-entry form, which allows corps staff and their contractors to enter private property.
The “Operation: Blue Roof” office where homeowners may sign the right-of-entry form is at 1927 25th Ave. (U.S. 49) in Gulfport. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday and can be reached at 228-868-3849.
