State environmental officials visited Cumberland County this week to tour a temporary storm debris site that was opened to help local residents clean up after Hurricane Matthew. Under the direction of Governor Pat McCrory, the state environmental department has activated more than 60 temporary debris sites for use in eastern North Carolina to collect yard waste, land clearing or demolition debris from the storm.
“The flood waters are receding, but the recovery has just begun here in Hope Mills,” said Donald R. van der Vaart, secretary of the state environmental department. “Now that the flood waters have receded we can also on cleanup by making sure people can get rid of storm debris in a way that protects the environment.”
Nearly three tons of debris have already been brought to the site in Hope Mills. Temporary debris sites are critical after any major storm to accelerate the cleanup process. These sites allow the organic debris to be reused when possible, such as grinding it up for mulch, and saves the landfills from being filled with material that can be recycled.
Staff at the state environmental department created a website that contains additional information and a map of active disaster debris sites. The map is updated as new sites are added and can be found on the agency’s website at: http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/waste-management/waste-management-rules-data/waste-management-gis-maps/debris-sites-map-viewer.
DEQ officials visit a temporary storm debris storage site in Hope Mills.