Storm produced 856 tons of brush in Salem — and counting!
We’ve noticed some very impressive brush piles around Salem following the derecho storm on June 29.
We asked Mike Stevens, spokesman for the City of Salem, just how much the city has collected so far. Here’s what he told us:
“We have asked citizens to separate when possible into a brush pile and a firewood pile and keep the length of limbs down to 8 feet.
“The good news for us is that we are the home base for “Project Warm” the non-profit that works with the Salvation Army and local Brethren churches to provide free firewood to needy folks in the Roanoke Valley. Any of the wood that is “firewood” quality – and there is a lot of it – is going to the Project Warm woodlot, which is located behind the old Animal Shelter on Indiana.
“We’re shredding some of the other stuff, and some will end of in the landfill.
“Even with the large amount of wood that we are able to “recycle” with Project Warm, as of July 31, we have taken in 856 tons of brush from the storm damage here in Salem.”
And there’s still more to go!
Do you have an impressive pile of brush from the storm? Share a photo at news@sosalem.com or use the “share” tool to upload 10 at a time. Have someone stand beside it so we can tell the height!
Meanwhile, Roanoke County has this update (as of Wednesday) about the status of its brush collection efforts.
August 2, 2012 - 3:00 PM
What happened to the chipper truck the City of Salem used to grind all this debris? It was used successfully in the past for a quick clean-up and created piles of mulch for the city flower beds.