HOUSTON – More than a month and a half later since Hurricane Beryl, and three months since the May’s derecho, piles of storm debris continue to line Houston neighborhoods.
KPRC 2′s Help Desk is receiving messages about the debris not being picked up by the City of Houston.
One help desk message came from the Montessori Children’s Cottage. The school is nestled in the Brookwood neighborhood along the Northwest Freeway.
Karla Larsson, administrative director at Montessori Children’s Cottage, recalled the damage from the derecho and Hurricane Beryl.
“The hurricane blew over all our fences and the trees fell onto the fence, so we had to replace all of the fence” Larsson said.
She said it took time and money to clean up their school and now, she just wants the city to do their part and pick up the debris.
Larsson has called 311 multiple times, dating all the way back to June and continues to call to put in formal requests online. Instead, she says she is getting the run around.
During one call, she was told it was because the debris was on private property. Larsson said the parking lot is not gated, and they have permission to grab the back of the debris pile.
Larsson does not want to put the debris on the public sidewalk because she fears it is a hazard to those in the neighborhood and is worried the school will be fined.
KPRC 2 has reached out to Houston’s Solid Waste Management in regards to the debris at the school.
On Thursday evening, a debris truck picked up the months old branches.
We spoke with Mark C. Wilfalk, the director of Solid Waste Management, and he said the first pass is 85% complete and the second pass will take place early next week.
Solid Waste Management stated that they do not go on private property with debris truck because they do not want to damage anything on property.
You can also monitor the progress of debris pick up in your neighborhood by visiting https://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/. They have an interactive map where you can zoom into your area.