Berkeley Heights Township : Tropical Storm Ida Debris Pickup Begins Friday Sept, 10; Chipping To Follow

Press release from the Berkeley Heights Township:

September 7, 2021

Berkeley Heights residents most affected by the aftermath of Tropical Storm Ida can leave storm-related household debris only at the curb beginning Friday, September 10 through Friday, September 17. Department of Public Works (DPW) crews will come pick up the items after 2:30 pm during pickup week. The Township will evaluate the need to extend the program past September 17 based on volume. 

PLEASE NOTE: This service is ONLY for residents whose homes flooded and need to dispose of household items as a result of this 500-year storm. It is not a regular bulk trash service.

We understand that towns around us are offering some kind of household debris disposal after Ida. Every town is different in terms of services offered. For example, some towns collect trash themselves instead of residents contracting directly with vendors, so those towns can pick up debris as they do trash, and properly dispose of it. Other towns may have a license to haul debris directly; we do not, so our DPW cannot pick up the debris and just dispose of it. Our yearly bulk pickup service offered here in Berkeley Heights costs the Township more than $200,000, and we must go through a public bidding process to offer that service every year. Going through that process is not feasible for this type of emergency event. Some towns may get reimbursed through FEMA for offering such a service, but FEMA reimbursement is never guaranteed for activities such as these.

Having said that, we need to help our residents most affected by this storm, and our hearts go out to all who suffered damage to their home. We emphasize that this service is only for residents who need to dispose of items such as rugs or other furniture/items destroyed when their basement flooded during last week’s storm, or garage items when rivers rose and seeped into their homes, etc.  

Please understand: Our resources are limited. Because our DPW workers are the employees typically in charge of storm-related cleanup after such major weather events, other storm cleanup may take longer than usual as a result of offering this service. This may include potholes to repair streets eroded by water.

Once the Ida debris collection program is completed, we will then start a Township-wide chipping program. Residents can put tree limbs that fell as a result of Ida by the curb beginning at any time, but they will not be picked up until after September 17. It will take our DPW crews several weeks to get through the Town. AGAIN, this service is ONLY for storm-related tree limbs; it is not a time to clean out the woods behind your homes and pile them by the road, otherwise, it will take the DPW months to go through the entire town.

Other Storm-Related Items of Note: 

• At the Township’s request, Union County will be spraying for mosquitos tonight from 7 pm-12 midnight. Areas that will be sprayed include: 
  1. Chaucer, Riverbend Rd., Kuntz Ave., Mt Carmel, River Rd., Garfield St., Passiac Ave., Grant St., Camptown Dr.
• Our Office of Emergency Management team has been assessing our Township streams and tributaries; many are full and need to be cleared out to avoid future flooding. We are currently navigating the FEMA process and trying to contact vendors specifically approved for storm-related water debris cleanup. Disposing of the debris taken out of waterways is not something just any contractor is willing to take responsibility for.
• Mayor Devanney has been in touch with Governor Murphy’s office, state and federal lawmakers and others, urging President Biden and FEMA to revise the New Jersey Disaster Declaration to include Union County. Individuals in Union County as well as local governments need this critical funding to assist in recovery efforts from the impact of the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Our residents need this federal assistance to cover uninsured property losses, repairs, temporary housing for those that were displaced and recovery of what, in many cases, are entire livelihoods. Inclusion of Union County in the New Jersey Disaster Declaration is not only necessary, but essential. Lawmakers are doing an assessment of Union County this week.
• The Union County Board of County Commissioners asks residents who have been impacted to submit their losses on the state website: https://nj.gov/ida/. Union County residents can also call: 1-888-845-3434 or (908) 558-2288.  Residents who call the hotline can report damage but also get assistance with shelter, food, childcare and other resources that may be needed.

Lastly, thank you, Berkeley Heights, for your patience over the last few days. Our Township department heads, administration, Office of Emergency Management team and emergency services crews – including Department of Public Works and Sewer Department - have been working tirelessly since the storm to not only ensure the safety of our residents, but to deal with the aftermath as our community picks up the pieces. This cleanup will continue in the weeks ahead, as we continue to seek state and federal assistance where we can to not only assist in that cleanup, but to help with future mitigation efforts.

This press release was produced by the Berkeley Heights Township. The views expressed here are the author’s own.