Tree debris removal continues in Anderson County, this week's focus will be neighborhoods

It has been four weeks since Tropical Storm Helene passed through the Upstate, bringing down trees and branches and scattering debris throughout the area. Despite the initial chaos, first responders, public work crews, county and city officials, the National Guard, SCDOT, AshBritt, and the local community have come together to clean up.

The Anderson County Emergency Team has signed a contract with SCDOT and AshBritt to expedite debris clean-up from the tropical storm.

AshBritt is a national disaster recovery company specializing in debris management and emergency response services. SCDOT, the South Carolina Department of Transportation, maintains and cleans state roads and infrastructure. Together, they aim to streamline the cleanup process and ensure that impact areas are cleared efficiently and safely.

On Monday, October 14, AshBritt and SCDOT clean-up crews began addressing hazardous trees overhanging the interstate and main routes. They used 50 large claw trucks to remove debris.

Here is the list of cities crews are currently cleaning.

• Belton
• Honea Path
• Iva
• Pelzer
• Starr
• West Pelzer
• Williamston

Ingram Palacios, project manager for Rancho Tree Service, is the crew leader for AshBritt. He is originally from Bakersfield, California, and was actively working on recovery efforts in Tampa before being dispatched to Anderson County.

"We traveled here to address the urgent need for debris removal in the wake of the storm's destruction," Palacios said. "We found out from many other contractors that the aid was sent to Florida because it was hit harder than this area. We chose to turn around and assist these neglected smaller areas."

"We have 20 crews and all kinds of equipment, such as bucket trucks and grappling trucks, said Palacios. "We're just a group of people from Bakersfield, California, working to clean up the neighborhood and make the community as safe as possible."

After cleaning the interstate and main routes last week, crews will collect debris placed on the sides of secondary and state-maintained neighborhood roads this week. The teams will divide the county into sections and make frequent pickups at homes.

"We will be here for a month and then head up to North Carolina to help," Palacios said.

Debris removal guidelines

If you need debris picked up, please have the pieces cut into 12-foot sections or less and place them beside the roadway for removal.

• Vegetative debris only
• Debris must be within 10 feet of the roadway
• Any size of vegetative debris will be accepted
• The suggested debris size is no larger than 12 feet
• Trees, brush, etc., will only be picked up for vegetative debris
• No trash or bagged vegetative debris will be accepted.
• Vegetation must be clear of fire hydrants, meters, mailboxes, cars, and utility poles/pedestals.

Debris removal from private property or private roads

This service does not include debris removal from private property or private roads. Residents must contact local debris removal companies to ensure their properties are cleared.

If you don't know what type of road you live on, you can tell by the letter in front of the number on the upper right side of the street sign. C stands for county roads, S stands for state roads, and P stands for private. Other letters, such as AN, PN, PZ, WP, WM, BN, HP, ST, or IV, indicate municipal roads.

Residents can report issues with a state-maintained roadway by calling 855-467-2368.

Debris resources for the elderly

Storm debris removal resources for the elderly are available through the ACSC Gov App. This app provides assistance and guidance for senior residents who need help with debris removal and connects elderly individuals with community services that can help them clear vegetative debris from their properties.

This initiative aims to ensure that all community members, including the elderly, have access to debris removal resources.

Anderson County convenience centers

The impact of Helene closed all Anderson County convenience centers due to the storm, but they are now open to the public. Residents can bring storm debris to these centers if they prefer to handle it themselves.

"The reopening offers an extra choice for those looking to speed up their cleanup." Anderson County town administrator Rusty Burns stated. "Crews will chip and reuse all debris and wood. This will decrease the amount of waste sent to the landfill and offer an environmentally friendly and reusable resource for the community."

The county has two debris dump sites: Starr C&D Landfill at 390 Roy Arnold Road, Starr, and Slabtown Convenience Center at 728 Pickens Drive, Pendleton. These sites allow people to avoid landfills and visit sites closer to home.

Dean Brown, the Anderson County Solid Waste site supervisor, said, "The city and other counties in Rock Hill have dragged waste here. Within three hours of my arrival, we've already had around 1,819 big trucks consistently come in to dump waste."

Bown expressed concern about how quickly the waste is piling up. "All the water is from the recent storms, and we also have the public coming in to dispose of their waste," he said. "I'm here to ensure public safety while trucks dump waste."

The Anderson County Solid Waste Department has been working tirelessly to assist residents with storm debris due to Hurricane Helene. Last week, the Starr Landfill and Slabtown Convenience Center operated extra hours to assist residents with disposing of LCD materials. Both will return to normal operating hours this week.

Staff continues to assist AshBritt with searching for suitable staging areas for the LCD debris. Anderson Regional Landfill will receive ground-up mulch and will mix it with 50% dirt.

City of Anderson

According to Beth Batson, the City of Anderson's Public Information Director, Tropical Storm Helene affected almost every neighborhood.

To date, the City of Anderson has reopened 257 city streets and continues to clear debris, averaging up to 200 tons per day.

The city of Anderson has assisted Horry County, Myrtle Beach, Mt. Pleasant, and Rock Hill in bringing storm debris to the Starr Landfill, which is taking over 500 tons of storm debris daily. Staff is working with LaBella to set up a DDM site at the Starr Landfill, for which a permit must be obtained through SCDES.

This approval must be obtained before the grinding of storm debris (LCD only) can begin.

Debris crews will continue to focus exclusively on collecting vegetative debris, such as limbs and woody debris. The city has scheduled outside contractors to consistently pick up large storm debris piles throughout the coming weeks.

Sanitation crews have resumed regular household pickup, including small storm debris piles. Storm Debris Taskforce Crews will continue to pick up large storm debris piles throughout the coming weeks. To report fallen trees or debris on roadways, call 864-231-2246.

Here are the City of Anderson's guidelines for tree limbs placed at the curb.

• Limbs less than 12 inches in diameter should be cut to 5 feet or less. Limbs greater than 12 inches in diameter should be cut to 2 feet or less.
• If residents hire contractors to cut trees, the contractors are responsible for hauling away the debris.
• To report fallen trees or debris on roadways, call 864-231-2246.

Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail. Reach him via email at trose@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Tree debris removal continues in Anderson County, this week's focus will be neighborhoods