City staff will soon begin burning debris taken by Bartlesville residents to the temporary disposal site established following the May 6 tornado.
The debris is approximately 12 feet high and 100 by 100 feet in width, City Manager Mike Bailey said recently.
“It’s enormous — absolutely enormous,” he said. “And to comply with the conditions of the permit issued by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, we essentially have to burn it one piece at a time. It’s going to take a long time.”
Efforts to collect debris caused by the tornado have concluded, with the disposal site now closed and curbside collection ended.
“I’m so proud of our employees and the work they did in the wake of this storm,” Bailey said. “They moved very quickly to make sure roads were passable for emergency vehicles and then began working diligently to help residents dispose of debris caused by the tornado. They were compassionate and understanding of the situation our citizens were in, and they were very dedicated to getting this done.”
Bailey said City staff is working to put together documentation showing how much debris was collected and other information required to proceed with applying for FEMA and State reimbursement grants and matching funds for costs incurred through hours worked, fuel and vehicle use in the days following the storm.
“It likely won’t be a quick process, but we will work through FEMA and the State to pursue options for reimbursement,” Bailey said. “We have staff working to compile the required information now.”