ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, SportsJefferson County survivors deal with debris removal

Tomorrow marks two weeks since deadly storms rolled over Central Alabama. Cleanup efforts are well underway in Jefferson County, where hundreds of trucks have spent days picking up debris that people want moved off of their property.

The company contracting with Jefferson County is asking that property owners put anything they want hauled away in the right of way. They are not allowed to take anything that's more 15 feet from the street.

But it's getting the pile from the house to the street, that seems to be the problem.

"You see what is here and unless you've got big equipment to move it, and shove it to the curbside, you'll have to do it all by hand, and that's where the help comes in," Gordon Hancock, Pleasant Grove storm survivor said.

Like many families, Gordon and Janice Hancock have been going through what's left of their daughter's home.  And right now, they just need help getting debris moved and they need help from volunteers.

"A lot of stress because you still have to work, you still have to maintain- you have to live, you have to work and it adds a lot of stress," Cecil Tidmore, Pleasant Grove storm survivor said.

Jefferson County is contracting with Ceres environmental to remove debris from the rights of way. They're making three trips through each neighborhood and dropping it off at 4 temporary sites where it's sorted through, and recycled. Anything that cannot be recycled is going into the Sylvan Springs landfill. But getting it to the curb for pickup, requires some volunteers.

"There's a lot of volunteers that come and help, especially on the weekends and church groups come in and they've been a great help, sometimes they come in 2,000 at a time," Huey Deville, Manager, Ceres Environmental, said.

But before he can put the remnants of his home on the street curb, Cecil's family says they'll continue doing just what they're doing today.

"There's got to be something up under all this debris, those mementos, those photos, the things we'd like to salvage we haven't been able to," Tidmore said. "We know there's going to be a lot lost through that process."

"Oh my. it's huge," Janice Hancock said. "I don't believe you could describe it. It's so bad. It's quite an undertaking. I don't believe it's hit everyone out here yet - I know it hasn't hit me yet."

So far, crews have removed 120,000 cubic yards of debris in Jefferson County. There is an estimated 2 million cubic yards of debris, total. They're hoping to have most of it cleared within 30 days.