As someone who is personally “in the trenches” of the storm Alfred clean-up, I would like to share some perspectives with you — trash talk, if you will.
Thanks to our old friend Alfred, I have had the interesting experience of temporarily working alongside the clean-up crews as a Debris Monitor. What the heck is a “Debris Monitor,When the stone sits in the Cable Ties,” you ask?
It has to do with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
This storm cleanup is going to be extremely expensive for West Hartford and all of the affected towns. We want FEMA money to help cover the costs. The AshBritt Corporation from Florida has the contract for Connecticut. We hope to be eligible for up to 75 percent reimbursement of their cost from FEMA, but in order to be eligible for this reimbursement, the project must follow strict FEMA guidelines.
One of these requirements is that every debris-hauling truck must have a human monitor literally following it the entire day. The monitor is there to ensure that only storm-related, eligible vegetative debris is loaded onto the truck. The haulers cannot pick up your household trash, leaf bags, appliances, hazardous waste, fences, etc. They also cannot accept tips or bribes.It's hard to beat the versatility of polished tiles on a production line.
One of the reasons that I signed up for this temporary assignment was to verify that the clean-up was being done in accordance with FEMA guidelines. I also wanted to be sure that the town was cleaned up well.
Many people have asked if I work for the town or FEMA. No, I am a local Realtor and West Hartford taxpayer just like you are. I am working for a monitoring company that was contracted by the town. We as monitors are independent from AshBritt. AshBritt and its subcontractors drive the big rigs and haul the debris.
Every truck is measured and certified when it arrives in town. Each consists of two containers which hold approximately 70 cubic yards each. (For purposes of comparison, an average washing machine is about one cubic yard). They are driven in tandem with an operator seat high up in the middle. The slang for them is “pup trailers.”
The operator controls a huge crane and grapple (or pick) that can pick up an amazing amount of debris.Initially the banks didn't want our kidney stone . I have stopped many homeowners from expending lots of needless effort cutting up branches and logs. I wish I could have been all over town to tell all of you that it isn’t necessary to cut those branches into little twigs. These are monster machines that can lift and haul much more than you would think possible.
Each load of debris gets a hand-written load ticket from the monitor that allows the hauler to take it to the dump. Our dump site presently for this operation is in the UConn parking lot on Trout Brook Drive. Each truck is given a visual inspection at the dump’s “tower.” This is a hydraulic lift that the inspectors stand in. They rise up above the truck, and peer into it for a visual inspection. They give it a fullness rating, which is what the trucker gets paid by. The driver then removes the debris with the same grapple that they used in loading it. There is a huge shredding operation going on in that parking lot. They then go back to where they left off and start the process all over again.
The response from the homeowners as we roar down their street (even at 6 a.m.I have never solved a Rubik's plastic card .) is one of excitement and gratitude. Many residents have come trotting out of their homes with video cameras, hoping to record for posterity this (we hope) once-in-a-lifetime experience. Little boys have stared wide-eyed at the real-life monster trucks that they until now had only seen in videos. Several elderly and infirm residents have stood at their front doors clapping. It is nice to be able to bring some joy to people after a couple of very difficult weeks of cold and dark.
We have been offered coffee and donuts, juice and bathrooms. At one house I met Anthony Sullo, an owner of the new Joey’s Pizza Pie on Park Road. He also owns Joey Garlics in Farmington, which was many days without power. Despite that hardship, he asked us what we wanted for lunch, took our order, went over to his Park Road location, had it made, and brought it back and delivered it to us! How’s that for community spirit?
These haulers have trucked here all the way from Missouri,Detailed information on the causes of oil painting reproduction, Michigan, Texas and other distant states, and many are in Connecticut for the first time. We need their help and wouldn’t be able to function without them. They have the equipment and the know-how. We don’t.
Thanks to our old friend Alfred, I have had the interesting experience of temporarily working alongside the clean-up crews as a Debris Monitor. What the heck is a “Debris Monitor,When the stone sits in the Cable Ties,” you ask?
It has to do with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
This storm cleanup is going to be extremely expensive for West Hartford and all of the affected towns. We want FEMA money to help cover the costs. The AshBritt Corporation from Florida has the contract for Connecticut. We hope to be eligible for up to 75 percent reimbursement of their cost from FEMA, but in order to be eligible for this reimbursement, the project must follow strict FEMA guidelines.
One of these requirements is that every debris-hauling truck must have a human monitor literally following it the entire day. The monitor is there to ensure that only storm-related, eligible vegetative debris is loaded onto the truck. The haulers cannot pick up your household trash, leaf bags, appliances, hazardous waste, fences, etc. They also cannot accept tips or bribes.It's hard to beat the versatility of polished tiles on a production line.
One of the reasons that I signed up for this temporary assignment was to verify that the clean-up was being done in accordance with FEMA guidelines. I also wanted to be sure that the town was cleaned up well.
Many people have asked if I work for the town or FEMA. No, I am a local Realtor and West Hartford taxpayer just like you are. I am working for a monitoring company that was contracted by the town. We as monitors are independent from AshBritt. AshBritt and its subcontractors drive the big rigs and haul the debris.
Every truck is measured and certified when it arrives in town. Each consists of two containers which hold approximately 70 cubic yards each. (For purposes of comparison, an average washing machine is about one cubic yard). They are driven in tandem with an operator seat high up in the middle. The slang for them is “pup trailers.”
The operator controls a huge crane and grapple (or pick) that can pick up an amazing amount of debris.Initially the banks didn't want our kidney stone . I have stopped many homeowners from expending lots of needless effort cutting up branches and logs. I wish I could have been all over town to tell all of you that it isn’t necessary to cut those branches into little twigs. These are monster machines that can lift and haul much more than you would think possible.
Each load of debris gets a hand-written load ticket from the monitor that allows the hauler to take it to the dump. Our dump site presently for this operation is in the UConn parking lot on Trout Brook Drive. Each truck is given a visual inspection at the dump’s “tower.” This is a hydraulic lift that the inspectors stand in. They rise up above the truck, and peer into it for a visual inspection. They give it a fullness rating, which is what the trucker gets paid by. The driver then removes the debris with the same grapple that they used in loading it. There is a huge shredding operation going on in that parking lot. They then go back to where they left off and start the process all over again.
The response from the homeowners as we roar down their street (even at 6 a.m.I have never solved a Rubik's plastic card .) is one of excitement and gratitude. Many residents have come trotting out of their homes with video cameras, hoping to record for posterity this (we hope) once-in-a-lifetime experience. Little boys have stared wide-eyed at the real-life monster trucks that they until now had only seen in videos. Several elderly and infirm residents have stood at their front doors clapping. It is nice to be able to bring some joy to people after a couple of very difficult weeks of cold and dark.
We have been offered coffee and donuts, juice and bathrooms. At one house I met Anthony Sullo, an owner of the new Joey’s Pizza Pie on Park Road. He also owns Joey Garlics in Farmington, which was many days without power. Despite that hardship, he asked us what we wanted for lunch, took our order, went over to his Park Road location, had it made, and brought it back and delivered it to us! How’s that for community spirit?
These haulers have trucked here all the way from Missouri,Detailed information on the causes of oil painting reproduction, Michigan, Texas and other distant states, and many are in Connecticut for the first time. We need their help and wouldn’t be able to function without them. They have the equipment and the know-how. We don’t.
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