“We understand the road to recovery will be a long one,” Stinson said. “We’ll be picking up debris for a month or two. Even as long as six months from now, we’re probably going to still be in some storm-related mode of operation.”

Stinson said about 75 to 80 percent of the debris has been removed, but there is an advantage to work still being in progress.

“We still have disaster volunteer groups helping the elderly get debris to the road,” he said.

The contract to remove debris was awarded to a familiar company, Crowder Gulf, the same company removing debris in both Sulphur and Westlake.

Last week, Crowder Gulf began to remove tree and vegetation “leaners and hangers,” Stinson said, “as well as appliances. Crowder Gulf removed debris for Rita, for Michael and other storms. The owner told me, this is the most debris he’s ever seen from one storm.”

Tetra Tech Inc. was awarded the bid for debris monitoring. Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering was contracted for consulting.

“We learned from Rita, that this type of disaster requires a lot of paperwork,” Stinson explained. “This group is on the ground now, doing assessments and uploading information to FEMA.”

Currently, FEMA reimbursement is expected to be 75 percent of the cost with the town of Vinton being responsible for 25 percent. However, there is a chance that a total cost of the cumulative damages from the parish and its cities might reach a threshold that would result in FEMA reimbursing at 90 percent of the cost of restoration – with the town being responsible for 10 percent.

Stinson estimated the cost of the debris pickup to be around $3 million dollars.

“We did have to restore our electrical infrastructure and we estimate that we’ll spend about $1 million on that,” Stinson said. “We sustained substantial damage to the police station. To complete repairs will probably be about $300,000. There was also damage to our sewer lift station and water well houses, and we’re working with our insurance companies to get claims started.”

Many Vinton residents have been displaced because of damages to apartment complexes and Vinton housing authority residences. The town has been in meetings with FEMA about supplying housing, but so far nothing has been decided.

Vinton has an ordinance that RVs cannot be residences, Stinson said. However, the town has made an exception.

“RVs just aren’t safe to live in permanently,” Stinson said. “However, if you own a home in Vinton and your house is damaged, you can put an RV in the yard as long as the homeowner is the one living in it.”

Stinson wants to encourage use of local RV parks.

“A lot of people don’t know where they’re going and we hope they can come back,” Stinson said. “I’ve seen about 20 homes that will have to be totally demolished.”

The population of Vinton is 3,300. The mayor has also reached out to local businesses for information on when they might re-open.

“Market Basket, our only grocery store, sustained substantial damage and I’ve word from them that they won’t be back until January,” Stinson said. “A fuel stop with a LaRumba Restaurant and Subway is damaged, and they haven’t done anything. The Dollar Store is damaged and still closed.

“Not being able to utilize these local businesses not only makes it hard on residents who now have to travel out of town for these goods, it also means the town has lost major sources of tax revenue.”