March 14, 2018
Contacts: Mike Koerner or
William Whitson, LTRT
Phone: 361-790-9496
www.rockportfultondisasterrecovery.com
PRESS RELEASE- For Immediate Release
The Aransas County Long-Term Recovery Operation took another step forward today by affirming the deadline for the public to place all storm related debris on the curb of the Public Right-of-Way is now set- for Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
Storm debris placed in the public right-of-way after today will be considered a violation of “Public Dumping Laws” and will be handled as a potential violation of the law Judge Mills of Aransas County Stated. He added, “We are grateful for the assistance FEMA and the State of Texas have provided in paying this large bill for the debris clean-up efforts following the Hurricane. To date, the total bill for debris collection alone is in the range of $35-36 Million dollars and counting! Our community could not have possibly paid for this type of massive clean-up on our own.” Now that the clean-up is substantially complete, the community must comply with FEMA guidance and set a firm deadline for ending this phase of the recovery process. The leadership team guiding the recovery operation has concluded that rules that applied before the storm should now be honored and put back in place. Mike Koerner, Director of Long-Term Recovery stated “emergency conditions are now easing and dumping of waste on the public right of way was illegal before the storm. Logic dictates that it is now time to return to normal daily operations. Fundamentally, dumping is dumping and continuing to do so is an illegal activity that will be cited as a violation by law enforcement across the County.” Judge Mills added “Please be advised that there will be a zero tolerance rule for dumping by contractors. Warnings by law enforcement will not be issued, so govern your activities accordingly.”
In addition, the Long-Term Recovery Team (LTRT) will continue to coordinate with FEMA to address special needs situations by putting in place additional resources to address clean-up efforts for citizens that need help in demolition of homes or elderly/disabled citizens who still need assistance with clean-up. The bottom line message on debris from Long-Term Recovery is we have provided over six and a half months of federally funded clean-up resources at no cost to the public. It is now time for the Cities and County to return to normal pre-storm debris clean-up procedures.
