Okaloosa County to begin removal of debris from May 10 storms — what to expect

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. ( WKRG ) — Okaloosa County announced that it is planning to offer services beyond what is normally offered to help provide relief to residents following the May 10 storms.

According to a news release, the county will begin removing organic/vegetative debris beyond the normal services offered by the county on May 28. This comes after the May 10 storms “which caused damage to homes and toppled trees in the area.”

Since the level of damage did not require a local declaration of emergency, the Okaloosa County Public Works Road maintenance crews will be performing the work. Officials say that since there was no declaration, the debris removal will happen on county-maintained roads and is expected to take about a week.

Due to the work being done by Okaloosa County Public Works Road maintenance crews on county-maintained roads, debris reported by homeowners and along state-designated roadways will be dealt with by either Waste Management or the Florida Department of Transportation:

• For home residents who are serviced by Waste Management: “yard waste can be collected as part of your regular service collection days. WM requires yard trash that cannot be containerized in bags or cans to be less than 4 inches in diameter and no longer than 6 feet in length; and placed in bundles, piles, or stacks weighing no more than 50 pounds.”

• For debris along state-designated roadways (U.S. Highway 90, State Road 4, State Road 189): “Please contact the Florida Department of Transportation to coordinate removal. Debris along private roadways will need to be contracted by the roadway owner directly with a contractor capable of providing debris removal services.”

“Thank you for your patience as we engage in these extra efforts,” the release said.

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