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County administrator: debris collection 85% complete; contractor collected about 1,000,000 cubic yards after Hurricane Helene
Summary
Greenville County's contractor has collected an estimated 1,000,000 cubic yards of debris from county roads after Hurricane Helene, the county administrator told council. Collections continue seven days a week; the county says FEMA has approved 100% reimbursement for debris collection.
Greenville County’s administrator told County Council the county’s contractor had collected about 1,000,000 cubic yards of storm debris as of the day before the meeting and estimated the county is roughly 85% complete with debris collection on county roads.
The administrator said collection is ongoing, generally from sunrise to sundown seven days a week, weather permitting, and that crews have begun ‘‘closing out’’ roads where collection is complete. The county is developing an online map viewer to show which roads have been completed; residents can report remaining debris through the county’s debris reporting webpage.
The administrator said the 1,000,000 cubic yards figure is equivalent to about 469 football fields and that the contractor is collecting fully detached tree stumps placed in the right of way; smaller stumps are collected with other tree debris while large stumps are hauled separately and processed with different equipment.
All funds for debris collection are being paid initially by the county and the county has been approved to receive 100% reimbursement for debris collection from FEMA, the administrator said. Officials have begun the expedited reimbursement process with FEMA, and the county expects to start receiving reimbursements soon. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division has prioritized the county’s reimbursement request, the administrator reported.
Councilor Dr. Fant asked whether the January 20 cleanup end date he had heard about referred to the state portion or city collection; the administrator clarified that the county’s goal is to be completed with county roads by March and that city and state roads follow different pickup responsibilities. Councilor McGaughey urged residents who report debris by the county’s general email to copy their council representative to speed response; he said in one recent case copying the councilor resulted in next‑day pickup.
Why it matters: debris removal affects recovery timelines, public safety on roadways, reimbursement from federal disaster programs and the pace at which communities can restore normal services.
What’s next: collection continues until all county roads are cleared; the county will publish a map viewer showing completed roads and will continue the FEMA reimbursement process.
