Corps of Engineers completing first pass of debris collection; Albany DRCs to close
First pass of debris collection to end by Tuesday in Early, Baker counties, Dec. 22 in Miller County
From Staff Reports
ALBANY — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working with city and county government officials, are in the process of completing the first pass of picking up debris generated by Hurricane Michael, officials with the Corps announced Friday.
Meanwhile, the operation of the disaster recovery centers in Albany are set to close this week.
The disaster centers in Albany over the last several weeks have been operating out of Albany Technical College and the former Isabella school on Cason Street. As the period to register for federal assistance due to the hurricane comes to a close, the centers will cease to operate.
“The GEMA Disaster Recovery Center located at Albany Tech’s Kirkland Conference Center will close on (Wednesday) at 6 p.m. The (Dougherty County School System) Tech Office location on Cason Street will remain open through 6 p.m. on (Thursday),” Wendy Howell, the public information officer for Dougherty County, said Friday.
The Corps’ first pass in Dougherty County concluded on Friday. The Corps’ first pass will end by Tuesday in Early and Baker counties, and on Dec. 22 in Miller County. In anticipation of the second pass, Corps officials said residents should place any storm-generated debris along the side of the roadway before the morning of the county’s scheduled start date for the second and final pass.
Officials said approximately 70 percent of the debris was collected on the first pass. After further assessment, the Corps, along with GEMA, Homeland Security Agency and FEMA, have jointly concluded a second pass will be sufficient to collect the remaining vegetative debris under the mission assignment’s scope of work.
“This mission assignment does not include agricultural debris. Therefore, the second pass will be the final pass,” Corps officials said in a news release.
The final pass for Dougherty County begins on Saturday, on Dec. 20 in Baker and Early counties, and on Dec. 29 in Miller County. Under the FEMA debris mission assignment, the Corps’ contractors had removed approximately 170,871 cubic yards of debris from Early County and 118,980 cubic yards from Baker County as of Thursday.
As of Wednesday, the Corps’ contractors have removed more than 170,000 cubic yards of debris from Miller County and more than 672,000 cubic yards of debris from Dougherty County.
Related Articles
Putting on the Ritz: The rise, fall and renewal of Albany’s Harlem District
On July 7, the Albany City Commission unanimously approved final construction drawings for a comprehensive restoration of the Ritz Theatre and Cultural Center, clearing the way for the project to move into competitive bidding after years of planning and preservation efforts. The decision marks the latest chapter in a decades-long effort to preserve one of Southwest Georgia’s most significant African American landmarks.
Albany City Commission set to vote on skate park funding
“There have been other sites discussed. Based on information (from) the community, we decided on the current site. That’s the only site we’re looking at right now.”
Food, mini menagerie provide inspiration for Mitchell County’s Lydia Griffin
“I would like to open, like, a Caribbean/tropical buffet where everybody can eat anything and everything. If I can’t do that, I would start small with a coffee shop (and) deli and keep going.”
