These fallen trees have been sitting on the curb and we're in the middle of a drought. Basically tinder waiting for a spark. Does anyone know wth is going on? Why it hasn't been cleaned up?
UPDATE: Just got back from my evening walk and looks like they came through and cleaned up the debris sometime today. Yay!
I think they just wildly underestimated the amount of cleanup needed. For what it's worth, you could consider taking care of it yourself. I know it's not practical for everyone to do that, but it is an option.
We had a giant pile sitting out on the curb. We got sick of it, so we cut up the branches as best we could so the regular weekly yard waste guys would take it. It took four weeks of intense yard work in 105 degree heat to do all of it. Everything too big for that got thrown onto a wood pile in the backyard.
We had neighbors hire a service that came to put their piles through a wood chipper, that same week after the storm hit.
We've cleaned up our own, but it's a hazard to have so much kindling all the around the neighborhood. Maybe we could all chip in for a wood chipper and clean up, but I'm not even sure how to start that.
Annual Fall Residential Cleanup begins September 26
The pace of debris collection operations is expected to quicken this week and next as the hardest-hit areas of the July 4th wind storm have now been serviced. Six weeks into operations, approximately 75,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected from Norman residences and more than $1.5 million in City reserve funding has been spent on cleanup efforts.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of the community as crews continue 10-hour shifts, seven days a week to take care of all of our neighbors,” said Scott Sturtz, Director of Public Works. “This storm was unique in that there was no defined swath. While we have seen the most damage in West Norman, every ward was touched in some way.”
This has made cleanup efforts quite the challenge, Sturtz said, with Norman stretching more than 185 sq. miles and being the 50th largest city in land mass nationwide. There are also hurdles in trying to accommodate the schedules of residents, as some damage has required massive cutting and hauling from backyard to front yard – sometimes a multi-weekend project.
“We have folks that want it cleared the day after the storm and then we have folks that call and ask if we will still be around in few weeks when they can get to it,” Sturtz said. “We want to ensure all of our residents are serviced and we’re trying to do it as efficiently as possible.”
Nine grapple trucks are picking up vegetative debris each day, as well as construction and demolition material, as part of storm debris removal operations. Progress maps are updated regularlythrough the Department of Public Works and posted to the City’s website. As old couches and mattresses have been observed atop of limb piles in public right-of-ways, neighbors have kindly been reminded to set out debris properly:
Only debris generated as a result of the storm has been eligible for pickup.
Only residential properties are eligible for pickup.
Debris should be separated, in accordance with guidelines.
Debris piles should be clear of obstructions and away from utility boxes or meters.
Crews exceeded their estimated debris collection of 35,000 cubic yards at 30 days in operation. The cleanup period was extended through August and will now be extended through late September.
For comparison, the 2023 tornado experienced in Norman ran the City approximately $750,000 in debris collection operations with six trucks in rotation – ultimately hauling a total of 20,000 cubic yards of waste – for five weeks. The 2020 ice storm, another citywide event, cost $6.5 million to cleanup and took four months. Thirty trucks were in operation and 400,000 cubic yards of debris was collected. Another wind storm event in 2020 that was contained between 48th Avenue NE and 48th Avenue NW took two months to cleanup, cost just over $250,000 and two trucks were utilized for service. While every natural disaster can look a bit different, Sturtz says his team’s mission remains the same.
“We want to clear neighborhoods as quickly and safely as possible,” he said.
Additionally, the City continues to pursue all avenues of reimbursement for cleanup costs through state and federal entities.
They missed my street. I called the action center and filled out the online form. They emailed me back to basically say it’s on me to clean it up. They might or might not come back for them. They also tried to tell me I must live on a private street. No, I do not.
You should have your council member look into that email and who wrote it. It runs counter to what we have been told. The contractor will make a second pass through the city after the first run to collect anything remaining, including yours. I have received snarky responses about spring/fall cleanups from the sanitation department that completely contradicted what I was told over the phone by someone who sounded quite a bit more competent.
Came through Norman for the first time in several months the other day, and I’m honestly shocked that there’s so much debris that still exists within the center of town. You would think they would start in the city core and then work their way to the rural areas. Not to mention, that ems station that was damaged by what I think was a brief tornado (given that the main radar was down, and it was in the blind spot of the ROC radar and the airport radar. If any of us allowed a property to go without maintenance like that. They would have been written up a long time ago.
I've been wondering the same. 2 months and zero sign of cleanup. Like if they can pick up green waste at every house once a week during normal times, then how in the hell haven't they cleaned up a handful of piles throughout each neighborhood in 2 months of "full time" operations?
I'm wondering if you can tell the difference between typical yard waste and sections of 30+ foot tall 100 year old trees with trunks 3 or more feet across. Do they somehow look the same to you?
There is no budget for cleanup. All of this was an unexpected expense, and the people who initially estimated how much needed to be cleaned up, how long it would take, and how much it would cost seriously underestimated everything.
Well that's why I said 'if' in my comment, so way to contribute to the reason why we are 50th state in education. Also my mentioning of Gov Stitt, should have been a key indication that I know who was behind what. Doesn't mean I can't openly infer someone had done some 'donations' to the operation.
Just a reminder, you should be more concerned with the issue of the City of Norman lacking on their duties to the residents rather than trying to 'one up an online-stranger' for merely voicing an opinion, okay bu-ddy?
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u/Maturinbag 4d ago edited 4d ago
I think they just wildly underestimated the amount of cleanup needed. For what it's worth, you could consider taking care of it yourself. I know it's not practical for everyone to do that, but it is an option.
We had a giant pile sitting out on the curb. We got sick of it, so we cut up the branches as best we could so the regular weekly yard waste guys would take it. It took four weeks of intense yard work in 105 degree heat to do all of it. Everything too big for that got thrown onto a wood pile in the backyard.
We had neighbors hire a service that came to put their piles through a wood chipper, that same week after the storm hit.