Debris pickup in Greenville after Hurricane Helene is likely to continue until the end of November.
More than 260,000 cubic yards of storm debris from the Sept. 27 storm have been picked up within the city so far.
Dave Derrick, the city’s director of public works, said staff began working to clear roads of debris the day of the storm. To help with debris cleanup, the city hired an outside contractor, Crowder Gulf for Debris, which mobilized within 72 hours after the storm.
The contractor’s 18 debris trucks were divided among 20 routes throughout the city. Derrick said the trucks were assigned to different zones depending on the severity of the damage.
After a month of cleanup, Derrick said a first pass of debris pickup has been completed on every city street. A second and potentially third pass will also be completed, with larger logs and stumps picked up near the end of the process.
“We’re not going to miss anybody,” Derrick said. “We will let everyone know when we’re going to be making our final passes to ensure that everybody gets their material out to the road and to be collected.”
Related: Hurricane Helene special section
The debris hauling company provides a daily report to the city detailing where it has been and how much debris it collected. A subcontractor named Tetra Tech was also hired to record every pile of debris picked up for reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The city originally estimated that 300,000 cubic yards of debris would be picked up by the end of the cleanup effort. However, Derrick anticipates the total number will be higher.
The collected debris has been hauled to a collection site at the Greenville Downtown Airport. At the site, the debris is broken down and transported to a mulch processor located in Pelzer. Derrick estimated they will finish transporting the material by mid-December.
“We’ve hauled out over 63,000 cubic yards of material to the mulch processor as of today,” Derrick said. “Once it’s ground … three cubic yards or four cubic yards is reduced down to once cubic yard.”
For more information on the city’s debris pickup, visit greenvillesc.gov/2412/Disaster-Recovery-Resources.
Recovery report
Greenville City Manager Shannon Lavrin provided a report of the city’s recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene during the city council meeting on Oct. 28. For more information, visit greenvillesc.gov//CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3810.
(View the cleanup presentation)
By the numbers
Over 300,000 cubic yards of debris is estimated to be picked up in the city. This is equal to 15 football fields stacked with 10 feet high with debris.
Debris dropoff
Residents in Greenville County can drop off their debris at three temporary sites:
- Greenville site: 409 Blackberry Valley Road
- Greer site: 1311 Anderson Ridge Road
- Simpsonville site: 517 Hipps Road
Where should debris be placed for pickup?
Debris should be placed on the right-of-way in front of the resident’s home. The city advises not to put debris in the roadway, as it can obstruct traffic.
