NEWS ADVISORY--City-Parish Announces Storm Clean-up Procedures
March 27, 2009
For release: IMMEDIATELY
For more information contact: Susan Boudreaux, 225-389-5100 or sboudreaux@brgov.com
Emergency storm debris cleanup in Baton Rouge following Wednesday and Thursday's thunderstorms began at 6 a.m. today as a result of the City-Parish enacting the emergency provisions in the Allied Waste Garbage and Trash Collection contract.
The emergency clause of the contract was enacted immediately following yesterday's filing of the Emergency Declaration by the City-Parish.
This collection, necessitated by the damage sustained as a result of the weather events of March 25th and 26th, will not mirror the Hurricane Gustav collection. Crews will focus on removal of debris from the Wednesday and Thursday thunderstorms ONLY, for a two week period. During this timeframe, the rules that govern normal trash collection will be suspended, but will be reinstated at the end of the collection period.
Crews began work in the Southdowns-Glenmore area and are branching out from there. This area, along with the E. Lakeshore area, suffered the greatest impact from these weather related events. All debris from the storms will be taken to the NRR Recycling centers on Pecue Lane and Scenic Highway for processing.
The City-Parish will be collecting trees downed as a result of this storm activity, and we would like to remind citizens that only a licensed tree service should be used on private property. The ordinance that dictates that tree removal companies should haul away the trees that were taken down will be suspended for this two week period only. Care should be taken to check for insurance and bonding. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry licenses arborists, and can be reached at 925-4500 to check on whether a business is licensed or not. Their website at www.ldaf.state.la.us has a current listing of all licensed arborists in the State. Out of state arborists are required to be licensed in Louisiana.
In placing the material at curbside, care should be taken not to block the visibility at the residential driveway. Maximum height of the material near the driveway should not exceed 3 feet. The material should not be closer to the driveway than 10 feet on both sides. The maximum length of the material should not exceed 10 feet. The suggested maximum weight is 500 pounds.
This material should not be placed under low hanging power lines, or near any other utility that might be disturbed during the collection process. This would include underground domestic water and gas lines and meters, storm drains, sewer lines, mail boxes, and fire hydrants. Avoid placing the materials under low hanging tree limbs or other landscaping, as such could be damaged during the collection process. A sheet of plywood or similar material can be used to prevent damage to grass if desired.
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