Debris piles up as cleanup continues after Hurricane Irma

Frustration sets in for homeowners with debris

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – More than three weeks ago, Hurricane Irma hit Florida. But many streets, driveways and sidewalks are still covered with debris. 

It's gotten to the point where Alvin Gant of Orange County has to flag down trash collectors, just so they can see the regular trash container among the piles of debris. 

"You have to stand by the trashcan so they come and pick it up," he explained.  

Gant's situation is a common one, as many are still waiting for crews to pick up the piles of debris. 

"It's a hazard because all kinds of rats and stuff live in the debris," Gant added.

​In unincorporated Orange County, the public works director estimates that there will be 1.5 million cubic yards of debris picked up; that's about enough to fill 15 of Epcot's Spaceship Earth. 

The county added three contractors to pick it all up, on top of their 15 public works crews. 

On the other side of the county, the grass isn't greener but at least they can see the grass that was under all that debris. 

"I just had my pool screen fixed on Saturday so this was the last piece of it," said George Reynolds of Ocoee, right after crews removed debris from his sidewalk.  

"It's just a wonderful relief to have it all taken care of," added another neighbor named Carol. 

"We’d also like to remind everyone that they can drop off debris at any of our eleven citizen debris sites, which are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. More information can be found  at ocfl.net/debris. There is also an updated map that shows where debris pick-up crews are in progress," Mark Massaro, Orange County public works director told News 6.


About the Author:

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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