Manatee County Clean-Up Continues

Manatee County Clean-Up Continues
Posted on 09/29/2022
Manatee County Clean-Up ContinuesMANATEE COUNTY, FL (September 29, 2022) – Clean up after Hurricane Ian is in high gear in Manatee County . . . with rapid deployment of recovery resources.

First In Teams (FIT), damage assessment crews and inspections teams are hard at work. The FIT teams have cleared ALL primary roadways and streets throughout the county and are working to clear secondary routes today.

Inspections of special needs homes are a top priority to get those individuals out of the shelter and back into their homes. Initial damage assessments to residential properties have shown in excess of $4.4 million in damages. That figure is sure to climb as more inspections are conducted. However, there has been no catastrophic damage identified.

All inspections scheduled for this week tentatively are deferred to Monday, October 3, as inspectors are performing damage assessments this week. The inspection schedule is expected to be open for new inspections on Tuesday, October 4. This schedule is subject to change based on storm recovery needs.

The Development Services Department is working to identify permit types for storm-related repairs and will be waiving related permit fees.

Beginning Monday, tipping fees for storm debris at the Lena Road Landfill are being waived for residential customers. The landfill will operate on extended hours from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. Be warned that lines and wait times could be longer than usual.

The landfill will reopen Monday, October 3, garbage and recycling collections will resume the same day. Residents are cautioned to separate types of debris to ensure collection and removal by vendors. The types of debris should be separated as follows:

  • Normal Household Trash
  • Vegetative Debris – Leaves, Branches, Logs, Plants
  • Construction & Demolition Debris – Building Materials, Wood Fencing, Mattresses, Carpet, Drywall, Furniture and Lumber
  • Appliances & White Goods (must be emptied) – Air Conditioners, Washers, Dryers, Water Heaters, Refrigerators, Dishwashers, Freezers, Stoves

Utilities crews restored potable water service to mobile home parks that were turned off during the emergency. Residents are encouraged to boil water for 24-48 hours or until they are notified of a rescission.

If you are out of power, it is likely your neighborhood’s lift station is not working. As a result, residents county-wide are being asked to “refrain from your drain”—limit toilet flushing, showers, dishwashing and doing laundry.

Over the past five days, Lake Manatee dam levels have been lowered. Crews will continue to adjust water levels, as needed, over the coming days.

Power is being restored across the county. As of 2 p.m., roughly half of the county’s Florida Power & Light customer were still without power. At present, there is no timeline for full power restoration.

Individuals who have temporary housing needs should reach out to 3-1-1. Manatee County is partnering with the American Red Cross to identify a suitable location for the temporary housing facility. Plans will be made available as soon as they are finalized.

County employees relayed the biggest danger they are seeing is drivers NOT following the rules for non-functioning traffic signals. Please treat intersections with no working lights as a four-way stop.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) activated the Business Damage Assessment Survey in response to Hurricane Ian. Survey responses allow the state to expedite Hurricane Ian recovery efforts by gathering data and assessing the needs of affected businesses. It is important to share our information on damage and loss ASAP. If you need additional assistance with your business, please call 850-815-4925 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or email [email protected] is most important.

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) will resume full services starting tomorrow, September 30, 2022. Travelers are encouraged to check with their airline provider for the most up to date travel information regarding their flights.

MCAT will be operating both fixed route and paratransit service tomorrow, Friday, September 30. Drivers are to report at their regularly scheduled time. There may be some additional shelter return trips that need to be completed, but those will go to Handy Bus operators.

SCAT has informed us that they will not be operating regular Route 99 service tomorrow. MCAT Route 99 buses will go into Sarasota tomorrow but NOT enter the Downtown Transfer Station, rather, they will only travel on 2nd Street to Lemon and use Fruitville to get back on route.