SAVANNAH —  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with local government officials, awarded task orders for debris removal activity in 10 counties within Georgia. Work has begun under the direction of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agencies as part of the FEMA debris mission assignment.

The first haul took place in Ben Hill and Laurens counties Nov. 6. For the next several months vegetative debris will be picked up by contractors operating under the direction of the Corps of Engineers, GEMA/HS and FEMA. The counties are Ben Hill, Brooks, Candler, Dodge, Jenkins, Laurens, Lowndes, McIntosh, Montgomery, and Screven.

As recovery operations continue, the Corps of Engineers will assist local authorities with best management practices to determine the amount of debris, the characteristics of the debris and the best avenues for disposal. FEMA is assisting with debris removal in 92 counties affected by Hurricane Helene, 10 of which are receiving Direct Federal Assistance Debris Removal. The Corps of Engineers has $56.9 million in awarded task orders for removal of approximately 1.9 million cubic yards of debris. There are 98 civilians and one military member deployed in support of the mission. There are 27 debris removal crews and 64 hauling vehicles assigned to the mission, and they have removed 84,000 cubic yards of debris.

Contractors will not collect debris from private property. Collection will only occur on the right-of-way curbside of public roads. This right-of-way extends 10 feet from the edge of the road outward. The contractors are collecting vegetative debris, which should be separated from any other types of debris, such as construction debris or regular household trash before placing the vegetative debris curbside for collection.

Debris removal in Ben Hill, Dodge, Laurens and Montgomery counties has already begun, and debris removal contracts in Brooks, Candler, Jenkins, Lowndes, Montgomery, and Screven counties will begin soon. Work in each county will be concurrent, but the amount of debris in each area will dictate the length of time for each county’s cleanup effort.

For more information or questions regarding debris removal, please contact local county officials.