Gary lays out debris-collection sites and FEMA documentation plan

City staff described the city’s debris-collection and FEMA documentation strategy after the storm. "We have put up 3 temporary locations to gather wood so we're not dropping wood all over the city," said Chief Operations Officer Mike Suggs, who named the West Side of the Village Shopping Plaza, the north parking lot at Gleeson Golf Course and the old Screaming Wheels roller-skating site as staging areas.

Suggs said contractors will shred and chip debris at those sites and move material to local transfer stations (Clay Street or East Chicago) for processing: "That debris will be shredded and then picked up and taken to Republic...We will go to 1 of the local transfer stations, either the 1 on Clay Street or the 1 in East Chicago." He noted the operation will prioritize environmental controls and expects the concentrated cleanup to take about 30 to 45 days.

On reimbursement, Suggs said the city has "hired Aegis contractors to manage our FEMA effort for recovery of the cost of restoring our community," and that Townsend will perform monitoring and photographic documentation required by FEMA: "FEMA requires that you photograph before you move anything out of a customer's property...You had to photograph it when you move it." The commission approved a related resolution authorizing contractor access to city lots for recovery operations through Dec. 31, 2026.