The Town of Huntington will pick up all storm debris left at the curb, Highway Superintendent Kevin Orelli said Tuesday, during an accounting of how much clean-up has been completed and what remains.
Orelli asked that residents put the storm debris, though not garbage, at the edge of the curb and not on the street. It is not limited by size or have to be bundled for removal.
Trees and resulting debris have been removed from dozens of streets in the 800 miles of roads that the department is responsible for, Orelli said. That has led to a small mountain of debris— 15,000 yards– at the department’s base in East Northport.
He also said it could take two months or more to finish the cleanup, which includes picking up the current piles of debris, removing stumps, followed by more debris.
‘We were prepared for this storm in that we arranged for our contractors to be ready and equipment in place, but that doesn’t mean we can make everything go away immediately,” he said.
At the department yard, trucks haul debris in past a a worker who photographs the load for documentation for reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and then dump it onto the pile of debris that will later be hauled to landfills. Orelli said he is considering chipping some of the debris.
He said the department would sometimes assist state or county crews, who were responsible for many major roads, including Main Street, Jericho Turnpike, Route 110 and Park Avenue, among others.
Clean-Up Underway as Officials Denounce PSEG’s Response to Storm