County provides guidance on storm debris collection

Lee County reported that storm debris is collected separately from household garbage

Storm debris assessment was underway throughout the county and collections were scheduled to begin in the coming days, giving residents time to get their storm debris to the curb, according to officials

The county provided the following information to assist with collections:

∫ Set storm debris at the curb away from your normal household trash and recycling; it will be collected and documented separately

∫ Place storm debris at the curb in three separate piles: garbage, yard waste and building debris Federal Emergency Management Agency rules require documentation of the volume and type of debris collected to reimburse the county for storm cleanup

∫ Garbage must be placed in a 40-gallon can or heavy mil plastic bag each weighing no more than 50 pounds If you have a larger county-provided container for automated garbage collection, you may use that as well

∫ Yard waste does not need to be bundled after the storm Place it in piles that

Recovering

After the stor m

can easily be managed by collection personnel with a claw truck

∫ To expedite collection, do not place

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“They should have let these people on (the island) much sooner,” Mr Johnson said

Ms Johnson said some of those who were rescued in the early moments and days after the hurricane were found by homeowners returning to their property “Some were rescued right away by homeowners,” she said Four days after the hurricane struck, the town fire department announced that the island would be closed off for a week to aid search and rescue efforts During that week, more bodies were found Five days after the beach was closed off, the last body on Fort Myers Beach was found Ms Campbell’s

Mr Johnson said he was pushing town officials to allow residents to have motor homes, trailers or RV’s on their properties to live out of while they repair their homes before black mold settles in “We can work on our stuff,” Ms Johnson said “That’s what everyone wants to do ”

For more than two weeks, there has been no power, internet, sewer or water for most Over the weekend, power began being restored for some Water service is slowly starting to return

Residents have been sharing portable toilets The Johnsons captured rain in bins to use for cleaning

The Johnsons were supposed to go to a family reunion in Illinois the week of the hurricane They were able to save boxes of family photos from their home “They are still wet, we are peeling them off,” Ms Johnson said They hope to get the photos digitized to save them Their children’s youth hockey team jerseys hang o u t s i d e a l o n g w i t h o t h e r i t e m s t h e y s a v e d M o s t l y e v e r y t h i n g w a s l o s t , including Mr Johnsons’ stamp collection They lost a truck though saved a car t h a t M s J o h n s o n p a r k e d a t t h e L e e C o u n t y a i r p o r t T h e i r b o a t w a s unharmed

They don’t know if they will rebuild their house

“We don’t know yet,” Mr Johnson said

They are receiving help from the South G e o r g i a C o n f e r e n c e o f t h e U n i t e d Methodist Church, in the gutting of their home at no cost

Gore said there has been frustration on the island due to what some see as not enough communication from officials anything beneath low-hanging obstacles like trees or power lines or near things like fire hydrants or mail boxes

After the island was closed for a week and opened back up, the town and Lee County announced that entry would be limited again to Wednesdays through Sundays for residents only from 9 a m to 5 p m to allow debris removal to move quicker Gore said she thinks the town might need the military’s help in quickening the pace of cleanup She said it wasn’t fair to block property owners from their homes for so long. “I think it’s crap. They should still let homeowners come and go,” Gore said “It’s a disaster,” Gore said “We’ve lived here all of our lives and I’ve never seen anything like this ”

Gore said the town should expedite the permitting process to allow property owners to speed up repairs Ms Johnson said the town should use federal money to help p a y f o r t h e i n s p e c t i o n s r e s i d e n t s a r e required to do to hire the engineers and electricians

“You want people to be living here again as soon as possible,” Ms Johnson said

The couple thanked World Central Kitchen for making “outstanding food” for residents staying on the island, while centered at the former Topps lot next to

∫ Food must be removed from any appliance set at the curb Inedible food should be placed with the garbage Disaster debris is collected separately from household garbage by a specialized contractor

Landscaping companies

Landscaping companies hauling vegetative storm debris cleared from residential properties will need a signed declaration from the resident indicating the address where the debris was generated. No debris will be accepted without a signed declaration

To view guidelines so that work crews can quickly and efficiently remove storm debris, visit https://mcusercontent com/656168b9451 60d61770bf02f5/ compresseds/e171fe0 d-5b96-b566-ed0c-0d88fbaeed1b jpg

For solid waste collection questions, contact solidwaste@leegov com

Storm recovery status is updated daily on the county website at www leegov com Regular updates can also be found on Facebook at “Lee County Government” or www facebook com/leecountyflbocc

Town Hall

Four of the town’s five councilmembers were without a home after the hurricane

Councilmember Bill Veach said his entire home, built about 90 years ago was destroyed by the hurricane However, his garage that was built recently up to the current code, survived intact without any damage inside “My house is a lesson in the new building code,” he said.

Across town, wooden homes took the worst beatings while those made out of concrete largely survived

“We lost some irreplaceable things, antiques from my wife’s family,” Veach said Veach, whose home was right on the Gulf of Mexico side of the island, took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian Based on how well the garage stood up, he is planning to rebuild “I am confident we can withstand this kind of storm ”

Mr. Johnson may not stay on the island but is optimistic on the future, “If you sit and start having pity for yourself, you are never going to get anywhere,” he said