Further, local disaster declarations are good for seven days. To continue this declaration, the Commissioners Court must authorize and specify the duration. On Feb. 7, we authorized the extension to be 30 more days.
Our Road and Bridge Department’s role was to reopen the county roadways. By Feb. 1, many roads were impassable from downed trees, limbs, and power lines. The chopping of fallen tree trunks and limbs into manageable chunks, then stacking them on the county’s right-of-way to haul off later was necessary as clearing the roads was a safety priority, and crews needed to quickly move to the next blocked road.
Costs incurred for roadway clearance so far is estimated to exceed $6 million. Where power lines were also down, Oncor, PEC or Austin Energy were notified. Feb. 2 granted us some sunshine and warming but that night, a second, wet, cold front pushed across the county bringing more freezing temperatures; many of us were awakened by the depressing sounds of more crashing trees and limbs. Armageddon greeted us with the rising sun on Feb. 3. Now what?
The county engineer estimates that cleanup of only the debris cleared from the roads would take up to a year so we must contract with a larger organization to do the job. Some counties that suffered from this icing disaster offer locations for residents to bring their debris, including Travis and Bastrop counties. None yet are offering to tackle the enormous cost of house-to-house pickup.
Landscape material such as trees and shrubs are personal property under Texas law. Most residents knew or assumed that. Williamson County is working on a variety of cleanup options, and we hope to be reviewing them shortly in Commissioners Court. Cities, with their larger budgets, are offering options for brush pickup or drop-off for their residents. We have negotiated a flat fee of $10 per covered load on a pickup at the county landfill outside of Hutto north of Chandler Road until Feb. 19. You must unload what you bring into the landfill and wear a safety vest or purchase one there. Waste Management is not requiring hard hats. A separate area has been set aside for ease in unloading.
Financial assistance for removal of woody debris that fell on the ground is not considered damages by the state or federal relief programs and is ineligible for reimbursement to property owners for its removal. If it fell on your roof, maybe; if it went through your roof, removed the roof, or further damaged the home or outbuilding, yes. Those reimbursements are done through different, individual processes.
No truck — no problem. Think about renting a smallish U-Haul moving truck and load it to the ceiling. The fee would be higher, but you could probably do it in one trip, no tarp needed. Take a broom to sweep out the truck after emptying, and you’re good-to-go for returning the truck.
This story doesn’t have an ending yet, but it is one to tell your grandchildren … about that time in February of 2023.