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Special to the American Press

Residents living in Calcasieu Parish’s unincorporated areas now have an extra week to get all remaining hurricane debris to the curbside.

To prepare for the parish debris contractor’s final pass for residential hurricane debris pickup, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury officials now require that residents get all remaining hurricane debris to the roadside by Sunday, March 14.

Parish officials extended the timeline one week due to the recent ice storm. Any debris not picked up in this final pass will have to be properly disposed of by property owners.

Municipalities – cities or towns within Calcasieu Parish – are on different schedules based on their individual contracts. If you live within a city or town’s limits, get all information on debris removal from official city or town sources.

 To help expedite the debris removal process, residents are asked to sort debris when placing it curbside – separate piles into vegetation, construction, appliances/white goods, electronics, and hazardous household waste.

In addition, parish officials strongly encourage residents to rake loose debris into piles to make it possible for that debris to be collected – the truck’s claw is unable to pick up small or scattered pieces of debris.

 Raking loose debris will also help parish mowing crews. They will not be able to mow ditches or areas with debris to avoid shredding and scattering it and to prevent people from being injured by flying debris.

 The parish’s Residential Solid Waste Convenience Centers in Sulphur and Lake Charles are open but are only accepting household residential waste from Calcasieu Parish residents (no contractors). No vegetation or construction/demolition debris is allowed until further notice.

Additionally, the parish has completed the debris pickup program for all eligible commercial debris along state routes in unincorporated areas. As of Monday, March 1, business owners are now responsible for any hurricane debris disposal.

 As of March 3, Calcasieu Parish’s debris contractor, Crowder Gulf, was 158 days into its pickup efforts to remove hurricane debris from the 1,200 miles of parish roads. Since Hurricane Laura, trucks have collected approximately 6.6 million cubic yards of debris from roads in the parish’s unincorporated areas. Overall, including in municipalities, a total of 11.9 million cubic yards has been collected.

 For all parish debris removal updates, please visit the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s Facebook page and CPPJ’s website, calcasieuparish.gov.

 Residents with parish debris questions or those who want to report any missed debris pickups are asked to call the parish debris monitor, Tetratech, at 337-512-8430.Hurricane debris

Rick Hickman