Second and Final Push to Remove Fire Island Debris

The second and final pass of debris pickup on Fire Island will take place Tuesday, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and property owners must have debris on the edge of their property by Monday night.

It is the last cleanup sweep, according to a release issued Sunday.

“We’ve committed to the communities to have the debris up and out of their neighborhoods by April 1 and we’re committed to that deadline," said Lt. Col. John Knight, New York Recovery Field Office commander in the release.

“The quicker we can get everything out, the sooner the communities can start to return to normal.”

The cleanup project began on March 12, and on March 20 the contractor began 24-hour barge operations. Nearly 1,600 Fire Island homes damaged by the storm are currently eligible for debris removal assistance.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency tasked the Corps back on November 24 to assist with removing debris on Fire Island as part of the federal Hurricane Sandy response and recovery efforts for New York. The project was delayed by several snafus in awarding the contracting project.

An estimated 62,000 cubic yards of debris is eligible for removal – enough to cover a football field up to three stories high, according to the Corps.

The Corps provided several ways residents can keep track of work locations: Twitter: @USACE_NY and #FireIsland and its Hurricane Sandy website: www.nan.usace.army.mil/Sandy. The Corps will also questions about the project posted to its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/USACE.NewYorkDistrict and by email to: fireisland@usace.army.mil. 

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