Derecho clean-up here in Cedar Rapids is coming along! According to a new article from the Cedar Rapids Gazette, city crews have finally finished the first pass of tree debris pick-up.

It's been over two months since that devastating derecho hit Eastern Iowa back on August 10th, but progress has definitely been made in terms of clean-up. There's still a lot of work to be done, though. The Gazette article says:

"While the initial pass focused on clearing bulky debris piles to make roads more accessible, additional passes will focus on picking up debris from smaller streets such as cul-de-sacs, dead ends and private roads, as well as returning to areas with a high volume of debris that crews missed in the first pass."

As of right now, there is no set number of passes that the city with complete for tree debris pick-up. That means that there is also no set cutoff date yet. That will come later on, as pick-up is expected to continue into the winter season. The city website says 2,380,536 cubic yards have been hauled so far!

Non-organic storm debris collection is moving a little bit slower. The article says that only 29% of streets in Cedar Rapids have been cleared of that. If you have any non-organic debris, you should place that in a separate pile from your tree debris.

If you'd like to see the full update from the city on tree debris pick-up, plus a map showing the city's daily progress, click HERE.

I live over on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids, and I was surprised by how quickly crews cleared our street the first time around. I'm looking forward to the second round, though. I have since dragged out the remainder of the large branches from my yard (we ran out of room the first time), so it'll be nice to have a clear lawn again. Plus, walking my dog through the neighborhood has been extremely difficult. Just yesterday we came across a MASSIVE tree stump blocking the sidewalk... roots and all! Kudos to all the people working hard to complete clean-up here in the city. We appreciate you!

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