FOX 8 News received the following press release from the City of New Orleans Wednesday afternoon:
NEW ORLEANS, LA- Today, the City of New Orleans updated residents on post-Isaac debris and garbage clean up. Deputy Mayor for Operations Michelle Thomas is leading a comprehensive, cross-sector coalition of City departments, private contractors and public and private sector partners to clear the city of debris left behind by Hurricane Isaac.
The City and its partners have disposed of 77,493 cubic yard of debris. The City continues to deploy debris crews throughout New Orleans. Today, many areas will have their second debris clean-up pass. The number of small equipment units has increased in order to clean the interior streets which large equipment cannot maneuver.
There are 5 prime contractors engaged in debris removal, 4 of which are local Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. In addition to DRC Emergency Services, the City has contracted with Metro Disposal, the Ramelli Group, Irvin Trucking & Demolition, and Cuzan Services .
There are over 500 workers deployed today to remove debris, which includes City workers and contractors. Agencies participating in the clean-up include Parks and Parkways, Sanitation, Sewerage and Water Board, the Downtown Development District, City contractors, and the Louisiana National Guard.
"We are working aggressively to complete cleaning of all City streets," said Deputy Mayor for Operations Michelle Thomas. "We have deployed an increasing number of temporary and contract workers and are addressing every single block in every single neighborhood to effectively conclude the post-Isaac cleanup."
Today's clean-up crews are utilizing over 100 pieces of equipment. This number has increased nearly 20 units since yesterday.
To assist in debris cleanup, the city has been divided into 60 zones. Today's, crews include new units that are being deployed throughout the city, with special emphasis on main corridors, neighborhoods with the largest urban canopy and high volume zones-zones which have the largest number of trees with the most damage. These areas include Venetian Isles, and the Lower Ninth and Upper Ninth wards.
Regular garbage pickup resumed on Friday, August 31 and is currently back on normal schedule. Residents are reminded to please leave garbage curbside. Do not place debris and trash on the neutral ground.
