Storm debris remains in Cumberland and Harnett counties
HARNETT COUNTY, NC (WTVD) -- We're almost three weeks post-Matthew and debris still lines many streets in Fayetteville. The city has been working seven days a week to remove the waste, however with so much ground to cover, many residents in the Mann Street development feel forgotten.
Darnell Simmons has lived in his home for 18 years. He lost everything in the floods.
"My whole future is laying on this street. Everything I worked so hard for," he said.
While Operation Blessing has been helping the Simmons family remove all of the damage items from the curb, crews still haven't picked up the waste.
Cumberland County is waiving the tipping fees for residents who can drop off their waste at the designated collection sites but that's not even an option for Darnell.
"My vehicles got lost in the storm so I have to wait on them to come and get it," sais Simmons.
It's not so much of an eyesore for Darnell as it is a painful reminder of all the memories lost.
"Sitting here watching it every day brings back a lot of memories," he explained.
In Cumberland County you can dump storm-related material at the Ann Street Landfill and Wilkes Road Treatment and Processing Facility until Monday, October 31.
The County is also opening the Wilkes Road Treatment and Processing Facility seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. The facility at 771 Wilkes Rd. accepts yard debris like tree wood and limbs.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FAYETTEVILLE STORM DEBRIS PICKUP
HARNETT COUNTY
The secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality toured the Dunn-Erwin landfill in Harnett County Thursday morning, which is one of two disaster storm debris sites in the county.
The sites help speed up the debris removal process because residents can bring their waste to the site rather than waiting for the county to take care of it.
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Harnett County applied to activate this temporary storm debris site two days before Hurricane Matthew hit. The county began debris pick-up on Monday.
Harnett County wasn't hit particularly hard in terms of flood damage, but a lot of trees were downed in the storm.
DEQ Secretary Donald R. van der Vaart visited Wednesday morning to check in with county and city officials to see what their needs are. He said part of the return to normalcy includes cleaning up the damage.
"It's going to take a long time, and we're talking about a lot of resources," van der Vaart explained. "We recognize that this is in it for the long haul. It's not going to be a week or so before people get back to normal. But this is just a part of it."
The sites in Harnett County are just for vegetative debris. Cumberland County is accepting construction waste and waiving fees. They're open every day until Monday.
