Debris left by Irma nearly half of what was originally thought

The monstrous lumps of debris sprinkled across Manatee County after Hurricane Irma amounted to about half of what was estimated — if you can imagine.

During the Manatee County Commission meeting Tuesday, as commissioners were provided with an update to changes in cleanup costs, utilities deputy director Gus DiFonzo said there was actually around 500,000 to 550,000 cubic yards of Irma debris, not 1.2 million cubic yards as previously stated.

SCS Engineers and HDR Inc. have been sorting and collecting vegetative, construction and appliance debris after Hurricane Irma hit the Bradenton area on Sept. 10. After 2 1/2 months, nearly 90 percent has been cleared.

Utilities public affairs liaison Amy Pilson told the Bradenton Herald in an email that debris estimates are calculated using a FEMA formula, which figures in how big the storm was, the area of the county and how dense the population is. The most recent and accurate estimate, she said, is a combination of how much debris has been collected as well as visual estimates of what remains.

Because there is far less debris than what was expected, that means that it will cost the county less. At first, the cost of debris pickup was thought to possibly hit $27 million, but now that figure has come down to $13.2 million.

Mike Gore, utilities director, also clarified to the Herald in an email that officials expect FEMA to reimburse about 62 percent of the cost, which means the county will have to pay up to $5 million.

During a three-week period last month, tipping fees were waived at the Lena Road Landfill for residents to dispose of their vegetative waste caused by Irma. Gore noted that 272 tons of such waste was taken in and subsequently burned. That meant a loss of tipping fee revenue to the tune of $10,888.

Officials expect Irma debris in unincorporated Manatee to be completely gone by Dec. 18. Residents can check the status of pickup in their area by visiting mymanatee.org/utilities. The cities of Bradenton and Palmetto have already cleared their piles.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Debris left by Irma nearly half of what was originally thought."