Damage estimates hit $41.8M | www.dnj.com | The Daily News Journal
As the cleanup from the Good Friday tornadoes continues, the damage estimates grow. So does the amount of debris being added to the Rutherford County Landfill and the Florence Road brush and limb location.
According to the latest Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency report, 845 homes were damaged by the E-F4 tornado, with 117 of those destroyed. Two hundred ninety-eight homes sustained major damage and 175 suffered minor damage. Two hundred fifty-five more homes were directly affected in some way by the tornadoes.
The estimated cost to businesses and residents is $41.8 million.
The amount of trees, brush and debris is also growing at the landfill.
"The total tonnage since Friday at the Rutherford County Landfill is 5,071 tons," said Randy White, public information officer for Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency. "The total storm foliage at Florence Road is over 3,140 tons."
The Rutherford County Landfill has been weighing four trucks per minute.
Mac Nolen, director of Solid Waste for Rutherford County, took officials from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the Tennessee Department of Transportation to the landfill to observe operations Wednesday. TDEC is one of the agencies that monitors landfills, and TDOT has equipment that landfills can use in their operations.
"We were seeing what was coming in and how it is coming in," Nolen said.
The director said the volume going in since the tornadoes Friday is making state officials nervous.
"What they don't realize is that 85 percent of that brush is not going into the construction and debris landfill," he said.
If someone brings a load that is 75 percent debris and 25 percent brush, it will go into the landfill. But most of what is coming in is either all brush, all debris, or a mixture of mostly brush with some debris. Trees, limbs and brush are being put in a separate location at the landfill and will be mulched later, the director said. Mixed loads, with a little debris, are burned at the landfill, he said.
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Before last Friday's storms, Nolen said the landfill had at least 12 to 15 years left. The Rutherford County Landfill takes demolition and construction materials, in contrast to the nearby Middle Point Landfill on East Jefferson Pike, which accepts primarily residential garbage.
"TDEC is concerned that demolition debris may shorten the life of the landfill to where we may have a year left," said Nolen. "If we put all the (demolition) debris in, concerns are warranted. But we are looking at an alternative site on our landfill other than the dump space to put that material."
The Florence Road Public Works site operated by the city of Murfreesboro is taking trees, limbs and brush from across the county and converting it to mulch.
Emergency Management Agency is asking that yard waste (limbs, trees, brush) and building materials be put in separate piles since they will be transported to two different locations.
Trash and debris removal will be handled by the Murfreesboro City and County Solid Waste, Rutherford County Highway Department, and several other mutual aid departments from the area.
In other storm recovery news:
n Agents of FEMA's Individual Assistance and Public Assistance Teams and the Small Business Administration are in the area doing assessments of the damage. They met Wednesday with Rutherford County and Murfreesboro officials to obtain preliminary estimates of the storms rescue and relief efforts. Rob Lyons, deputy city manager for Murfreesboro, asked departments to get estimated storm response costs to be submitted to the city manager's office by the end of the day Wednesday.
Roger Allen, director of the Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency, said the city and county are both getting costs together, including estimates of what it may cost in the future. FEMA and SBA personnel will continue assessments for the next several days.
n Emergency management officials are continuing to issue passes for anyone needing to enter affected areas. Contractors, all volunteers, and anyone that has a reason to be in the area will need to register at the Rutherford County Solid Waste side of the building at 1220 W. College St. before attempting to enter restricted neighborhoods. Passes will be issued from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But passes will not be required to enter affected areas after today, according to a release.