Tennessee Hurricane Helen Cleanup is Nearly Completed
Tennessee Valley Authority staff have not completed the work, and they were still cleaning up debris from Hurricane Helen six months ago. They are looking for creative ways to get the job done, by late June, when water levels peaked every year.
Helene cleanup in eastern Tennessee is at a strict deadline as staff struggle to complete the project by June.
Tennessee Valley Administration (TVA) staff are working at the Douglas Reservoir in Dandridge, Tennessee, hoping to complete the cleanup before water levels reach its summer peaks by the end of June.
September, Hurricane Helen Left some unrecognized East Tennessee waterways.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Department said it is cleaning debris from waterways in six counties.
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Dandridge residents described the direct consequences of Hurricane Helen as “stomach pain.” One resident said the debris were too thick and she felt she could “walk on the water.” (Gill Cody)
One of these waterways is Douglas Reservoir, and residents say the hurricane is the last thing they expect to happen Great Smoky Mountain.
“It looks like you can walk on the water. There are a lot of debris,” said Kathy Villars, a Dandridge resident.
“We just came in from the field and it was painful,” Dandridge resident Jill Cody said. “You know, I’ve never experienced a hurricane. Of course, I didn’t expect there would be one here, and I didn’t realize how much it would affect me.”
Clint Stanley is one of about 100 TVA workers who cleaned up the 390-mile coastline of the reservoir. So far, his team has removed 96,000 cubic yards of debris from the reservoir. This is enough to fill 96 barges.
Douglas Reservoir has cleared about 77,000 cubic yards of debris. A barge can tow 1,000 cubic yards of debris. (Fox News)
Many of the remaining shoreline debris will not be able to reach TVA’s excavators until the water level rises enough to allow the machinery to clear the steep coastline. Land personnel arranged stocks of debris on shore so that the excavator could reach the debris.
“We put this above at altitude, where we will get the appropriate draft from the barge to get it,” Stanley said.
However, debris from rising water levels are expected to once appear on the coastline. Stanley’s team placed debris traps along the coast and coves to prevent debris from floating.
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About three-quarters of the fragments of Douglas Reservoir are natural and capable of being burned to ashes, said Kevin Holbrook, a civil construction manager at TVA. He said burning debris would reduce the impact Tennessee roads and landfills.
“Now, as the water level rises, we have to take these materials to our load position and drag the remaining debris into the landfill,” Holbrook said.
About 75% of the debris on Douglas Reservoir are natural and can be burned to about 150 cubic yards of ashes. The crew said reducing debris to ashes relieved pressure on roads and landfills. (Fox News)
According to TVA, the cleaning of Douglas reservoir has been completed by about 70%.
Progress is also being made in other parts of the country.
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Tema estimates that more than 2 million cubic yards of hurricane debris have been dragged out of Tennessee waterways. This is enough to fill about 973 football fields a foot deep.
