ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — Debris from Saturday's storm continues to pile up as Omaha residents work to clean their properties, with many expressing frustration over limited disposal options.
- Video shows neighbors dropping off debris at Ta Ha Zouka Park.
- “This city failed. They should have had more than one drop-off site, and they should have had a larger area.”
- The city says it is working on a comprehensive storm response plan given the increased frequency and nature of damaging storms.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Debris from Saturday's storm continues to pile up as Omaha residents work to clean their properties.
From small branches to truckloads of entire trees torn apart, the damaging winds from Saturday's severe weather left their mark.
“We had a whole tree fall down in my parents' backyard, so we're helping them while they're at work today,” said Cassady Yarbrough, an Elkhorn neighbor.
In response to the storm, the city of Omaha opened a debris drop-off site at Ta-Ha-Zouka Park over the weekend.
But with only one spot to go in all of Omaha, some neighbors were frustrated.
"We waited two hours twice just to unload,” said Yarbrough.
"The end of the line was clear out to the highway," said Clair Thoene, an Elk City neighbor. “This city failed. They should have had more than one drop-off site, and they should have had a larger area.”
I reached out to the city and spoke to Mayor John Ewing's chief of staff, who told me the Elkhorn drop-off site was chosen since damage was concentrated in northwest Omaha. Hefflinger Park was added as another site on Monday because the city didn't have the resources to staff it over the weekend.
"I mean, things just happened so fast, and everybody wants to clean up starting immediately the next morning. Unless the city can designate permanent sites and designate disaster recovery immediately, we’re going to have people on site coordinating traffic. I just don't know how sustainable that is year after year," said Doug Tillman, an Elkhorn neighbor.
The city says it is working on a comprehensive storm response plan given the increased frequency and nature of damaging storms.
Omaha will keep both drop-off sites open through Tuesday. The city wants to remind neighbors it is not providing curbside pickup for this storm, but debris can be picked up from homes by following the yard waste guidelines.
