With Milton coming, Manatee races to clean debris. How it compares to massive objects

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As Manatee County braces for Hurricane Milton, local authorities have been tackling a monumental task: clearing several thousand tons of debris left in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

As of Wednesday morning, Bill Logan, a spokesperson for the Manatee County Government, told the Bradenton Herald that haulers have removed around 6,000 tons of debris .

But how heavy is 6,000 tons?

Here’s how all of the storm debris collected in Manatee County compares to other heavy objects:

• 30 times heavier than a house
• 50 times heavier than a blue whale
• 75 times heavier than the Space Shuttle
• About half as heavy as the Eiffel Tower

Despite the massive amount of collected debris, an untold amount of ruined furniture, appliances and other scraps still line Manatee County’s streets ahead of Hurricane Milton’s landfall. Residents and local officials remain concerned that Milton’s powerful winds could turn that debris into dangerous projectiles.

State and local governments throughout Florida have been racing to clean up as much debris as possible before the powerful winds from Hurricane Milton arrive.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has urged local officials to pick up the pace ahead of the oncoming storm and assigned several state agencies to focus their resources on cleanup.

“Hopefully the storm slows down or stays away, but there’s just no way you can get it all out of here in time,” one debris hauler on Anna Maria Island told the Bradenton Herald Tuesday.