That Crap On Your Sidewalk Will Likely Remain There For A Long Time

By Richard Connelly Mon., Sep. 29 2008 at 2:20 PM

Categories: Hurricane Ike

Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department has modified its clean-up schedule to target different parts of the city each day this week. Information, including a map of the areas, can be found here. The department expects to complete what it calls the first “pass” – hitting every street – by October 18, according to spokeswoman Marina Joseph. She said the department’s approximately 800 trucks have, through Sept. 28, collected nearly 1.2 million cubic yards of debris – 34,714 truckloads.

Still, a drive through Sharpstown reveals lots of debris stacked up near the sidewalks, and other neighborhoods in town are lined with trash bags that have been sitting for over a week.

“We have 16 debris zones and everybody wants you to be in their neighborhood,” Joseph said. “I think that’s the hardest part – you know, we want to service everybody quickly.”

She added: “This affected pretty much all of Houston, as oppsoed to [Tropic Storm] Alison, which was like in two major areas….And so I think that’s what makes this cleanup difficult, because it’s everywhere. It’s a bigger debris event….And [we] estimate from 5 million to 7 million cubic yards of storm debris out.”

-- Craig Malisow

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