TAMPA, Fla. — A month after Hurricane Ian hit Florida, people are still picking up the pieces from the storm. While Tampa was spared the brunt of the damage, some people said their streets remain littered with debris.
Amongst all the Halloween decorations in Seminole Heights, you might also spot Hurricane Ian’s aftermath.
“We had a tree limb come down,” said Thomas Stinson, who lives in the neighborhood. “The wind was so strong, it blew it into the driveway, and then we had some shutters go down.”
More than a month later, a pile of debris is still untouched in front of his home.
“It doesn’t make me feel good at all. You know it’s like we need the pace to be picked up,” said Stinson. “A lot of people are frustrated behind the debris still sitting in front of the house.”
ABC Action News drove down a number of streets in the Seminole Heights area and spotted several piles of debris lining the roads.
Herman Osby is dealing with the same problem.
“Well, how long is it going to take them to pick it up? And do we need to call anybody to have it picked up?” said Osby.
Tampa city officials said its Solid Waste Department has crews out working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to handle debris pickup and are working to clear streets as quickly as possible. Officials said with a storm of this magnitude, it typically takes anywhere from 30 to 60 days to restore a city of this size.
“I’ll be glad when they get it picked up,” said Osby.
The city also said they have two companies contracted to help pick up debris and one company to monitor the debris sites and the work carried out by the haulers.
When a storm hits, resources go to the hardest-hit areas first. The city said in their case, most resources were sent to Southwest Florida, and on top of that, there’s a large amount of debris that needs to be picked up.
City officials also want residents to know vegetative storm-related debris is the only type of debris that should be laying loosely in front of their yard for pickup.
Until then, neighbors will continue to patiently wait.
“You can’t rush nature, you know, so you got to take it one minute at a time," said Osby.
City officials want Tampa residents to know they also have the option to drop off their storm-related vegetative debris for free at the following locations:
- 22nd Street Park at 7801 N. 22nd Street
- Gadsen Park at 6901 S MacDill Avenue
The city said the two sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday until further notice.