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City of Tampa: All storm debris has been collected
Ariel Plasencia reports
TAMPA, Fla. - The city of Tampa announced on Friday that it has reached a "historic milestone" by cleaning up all the city’s storm debris from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
"That means that we have made three sweeps through every single neighborhood in the city of Tampa, and we have cleaned up all of the hurricane debris ahead of schedule," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said on Friday.
The city estimates the total amount of debris collected is more than 1.3 million cubic yards, which is enough to fill the Rivergate Tower in downtown Tampa – also known as the Beer Can Building – four times. Officials said they reached their goal of finishing the job before the Christmas holiday.
READ: Private vs. county appraisals: Why there’s a drastic difference in storm damage property valuations
"This is a historic milestone," Tampa Solid Waste Director Larry Washington said. "We have never been hit, especially back-to-back, by storms like this. We thought Hurricane Irma was bad, but this one was clearly worse."
Washington said more than 300 contractors worked alongside city crews, who were collecting 45,000 cubic yards of debris per day at their peak. To put that into perspective, the city collected 170,000 cubic yards of total debris during Hurricane Irma in 2017, according to Washington.
Now, the city has to haul all of the collected debris from drop-off sites to the McKay Bay Transfer Station, where it will be assessed and approved by FEMA. That’s important, because the city must complete this process before January 11, so FEMA will pay for it.
On Friday, Castor estimated this cost to be about $65 million and said the city was on track to meet the January deadline.
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"We expect that we will be able to be reimbursed by FEMA at 100%," Castor added.
For residents who still have storm debris, city officials are asking them to give them a call: (813) 274-8811. Yard Waste Collection will resume December 30 and weep Collection will resume January 6, 2025.
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