Debris clean up continues about two weeks after Hurricane Ian

TAMPA, Fla. - Trucks with the big claws are working their way through local neighborhoods, snatching one Hurricane Ian debris pile at a time. 

Though the immediate Tampa Bay Area escaped major damage from Hurricane Ian, tons of debris must be picked up, especially branches, limbs and leaves. Tampa residents like Toni McElreath wait and wonder about the piles of debris in front of their homes.

"When is it going to be picked up? It’s been here for quite a while now," she said. 

RELATED: Hurricane Ian debris piles line streets in Hillsborough, Pinellas counties

McElreath lives in South Tampa’s Bayshore Beautiful neighborhood. City officials said they used drones to identify areas where the tree canopy took the most damage and McElreath’s neighborhood is one of them.

However, officials said crews may bypass homes where vegetative debris, like limbs and branches, is mixed with plastic bags or construction debris like shingles or boards. Tampa’s Director of Solid Waste Larry Washington said the rules allow crews to move quickly and efficiently through the city.

"A storm of this magnitude in a city of this size could take up to 60 days for collection, so please stay patient, we are working seven days a week, hours a day," said Washington.

In Tampa, they normally want you to put vegetative debris, like leaves and branches, into bags or trash cans, but right now they said put it in lose piles, separate from other garbage. If you’ve already put it in trash cans or bagged the vegetative debris, don’t unpack it. They will collect it on your regular yard waste day.

READ: Road repairs underway in North Port after Hurricane Ian floodwaters cause damage

Do not put old TV’s, appliances, paint cans or other throwaways out, because they will not be collected. If they are mixed with storm debris crews may bypass your house.

For many in our area, the truck with the claw can’t arrive soon enough. 

"I feel for the folks down south. We were so lucky here, but this will be a chapter of our lives that we can say goodbye to," said McElreath.

Guidelines differ for other cities and counties in the region. Go to your jurisdiction’s posted guidelines for details in your area.