June 17, 2008

Flood debris piles up

       One iconic image from the floods: trash bins overflowing with debris.  Large bins are prized commodities as they sit packed with debris from one end of the county to the other.  A steady stream of ruined drywall, wet carpet and trash bags stuffed full of ruined personal belongings pour into and out of the massive bins.  The bins are stuffed with 10 to 40 cubic yards of flood-damaged debris each.  "It's getting really hard to keep up with the Dumpsters," said John Drybread, Edinburgh utilities superintendent and town council member.  Drybread said the 12 bins in Edinburgh fill every two to three hours from residents and town workers hauling in debris from the flood and June 2 tornado.  About 35 containers are stationed around the county for residents to get rid of their ruined belongings.  Damaged flooring and trash bags full of destroyed personal effects spilled out of the bins in Franklin on Monday afternoon.

         White River Township residents are piling debris in four bins at Fire Station 53 on Mullinix Road and the old Station 51 on Runyon Road.  The bins have to be emptied more than once a day, fire department spokesman Jim Engmark said.  "They've been dumped ... I couldn't tell you how many times," Engmark said.  The containers got a lot of use over the weekend when more than 100 volunteers went to the heavily flooded Bluff Acres neighborhood to help clear debris, Engmark said.

         About 15 sites have been set up in Franklin areas hit hardest by the flood, such as the neighborhood along South Street south of the cemetery, street commissioner Steve Compton said.  Several trash pickup companies from the state and city have sent their bins and trailers to neighborhoods for debris, and residents have been filling 10 to 12 semi trailers worth of debris each day, Compton said.  Some residents also have contracted private services for cleanup.  He said city workers were at first running behind with emptying the bins because they filled up so quickly, but his goal was to have the bins empty by Monday night.  He also hoped to have a figure for the amount of debris thrown away soon.

         Residents in Bargersville filled up two semi trailer-sized bins in about a week and were wondering if more were coming, town council president and interim utilities superintendent Steve Welch said.  The town is bringing in another container of the same size for residents to use, which will be in front of the police station on Main Street, Welch said.  He said about 75 percent of the town's flood debris has been cleaned up.  Most of the debris from the tornado that hit Edinburgh has been removed, but workers still are in some neighborhoods taking away tree and brush debris, Drybread said.  Most residents also have disposed of their furniture and personal belongings from flood-ravaged homes and now are tossing ruined drywall and insulation, Drybread said.  "It's getting better, but it's kind of like you get it cleaned up and you go back there an hour later and (residents) have had an opportunity to get a couple more rooms (cleared out)," he said.  Anyone needing to dispose of hazardous materials should contact the Johnson County Solid Waste District.  Whiteland Department of Public Works is directing residents to dispose of their debris at the Johnson County fairgrounds location in Franklin.

         The two Greenwood bins at Fire Station 92 at 1244 Fry Road aren't filling as frequently as other parts of the county, said Director of Operations Norm Gabehart.  The containers have been full twice since last week and two new ones should be in by today, Gabehart said.  The flood and June 2 tornado left record amounts of debris for Indianapolis workers and residents to pick up.  The City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works collected almost 600 tons of debris, including trees and brush, in the past two weeks from storms.  Totals are expected to climb as city workers hit southside flood areas and eastside areas affected by a tornado for cleanup.  (Story reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal) 

NOTE:  The White River Township Fire Department would like to thank all of the volunteers who have helped with the trash cleanup both at the fire stations and throughout the community.  The use of front-end loaders, boats, and other equipment has been greatly appreciated.

 

           
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