POST-STORM UPDATES – OCTOBER 28, 2022

Dear City of Naples Community,

Debris removal continues to be the highest-profile recovery mission, and we are committed to getting the community back to its pre-Ian beauty. Our county and contractor partners are closely coordinating every day to complete the first pass effort and will continue to make passes until all the debris is gone. We are working very hard to try and beat our earlier projection for completion by January 2023, but this effort has been unlike any other we’ve experienced. The volume of C&D debris is immense and much more challenging to remove than vegetative debris.

By the end of the day yesterday, over 204,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed from the city. As a comparison, the entire debris removal effort after Hurricane Wilma in 2005 involved the removal of approximately 196,000 cubic yards of mostly vegetative debris over a 4-month period. That removal volume has already been eclipsed for Ian in about 3 weeks. Nevertheless, we will not be satisfied and will not stop until every single street and alley is clear of debris and things are back to pre-Ian conditions.

Our focus this past week and into the weekend will be to ensure neighborhoods that have a tradition of high-traffic trick-or-treaters are cleared by Halloween. We ask for your assistance to make sure new debris is not blocking sidewalks. We are completing this focused work simultaneously with the ongoing city-wide efforts. A detailed update on the debris removal mission will be provided at Monday’s City Council meeting and our county partners will be in attendance to assist.

Please note that beginning next week, we are transitioning to a once-a-week (Wednesdays) comprehensive community update. Of course, we will continue to push out new and important information as soon as we can. On behalf of Mayor Heitmann, the City Council, and City staff, thank you so much for your continued support and partnership in helping to restore our community.

Sincerely,
Jay Boodheshwar
City Manager

DEBRIS REMOVAL

Significant progress continues with debris removal operations, with the City surpassing the 200,000 cubic yard mark in terms of total debris collected to date. For those who are familiar with the Hertz Arena, located just north of Naples, this is enough volume to fill the arena to a height of 30 feet.

The debris removal contractor has been working diligently this week in various neighborhoods to remove debris piles ahead of trick-or-treating activities on Monday, October 31. Please note that there may still be some debris piles, and families should take extra care as they walk from street to street. We look forward to a safe and fun filled Halloween night.

To ensure that debris removal operations continue to be as efficient as possible, we need the community’s help:

Please do not place any new debris in alleys. All material should be placed in the right-of-way to allow for easier removal.

Please do not place debris on neighbor’s properties or on vacant lots (which is considered illegal dumping).
Please do not push sand from private property into the public right-of-way. Sand should be pushed into piles at the rear (beachside) of properties, to allow the state (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) to complete an assessment of this material.

The County has established a “Debris Dashboard”, which can be accessed using the following links:

Mobile:

https://tt-emi.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/e12d26c3b93446709cd06b00d98d25a0

Desktop:

https://tt-emi.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/fc7438fb3677414b928ddb5b4d9d0c24

*IMPORTANT NOTE* Residents and businesses are reminded that landscaping contractors that are performing normal lawn and landscaping maintenance activities are responsible for hauling these materials off site. Only hurricane-related horticulture debris should be placed at the curb/public right-of-way.

Do not block storm drains with debris
Do not block Fire hydrants with debris
Do not block / cover Comcast and other utility boxes with debris
For commercial customers, please do not place any horticulture debris, construction & demolition debris (C&D), or white goods, within commercial front-load dumpsters.

SAFETY, SECURITY, AND CURFEW

The City’s curfew (specific to residential areas) remains in effect from 10pm–6am.

Police will strictly enforce this curfew for individuals who do not live in residential areas and will remain on high alert while patrolling all corners of the community.

As an added security measure, we have a police presence at certain check-point locations after sundown to keep non-residents out of areas experiencing extended power outages.

There will be a mandatory county curfew in effect from midnight, 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., for all incorporated and unincorporated areas south and west of U.S. 41. This curfew does not apply to the City of Marco Island and the City of Everglades.

STREETS & STORMWATER

Property owners are power washing driveways and buildings. Water and material flows directly to the street and into the storm system. We are asking the public to be mindful of how the constant washing is affecting the system.

Alleyways – pressure washing into alleyways reduces City staff’s ability to properly clean the alleys due to standing water.

Residents/Property owners are draining pools. They are reminded to filter the pool discharge on a grassed area to filter the water before it enters the street and then into the stormwater inlets. This discharge must be monitored to confirm that no street flooding is occurring, especially with daily rain events.

As the debris is removed by the recovery contractor, debris left in the city’s right of way then washes the drainage inlets. We ask the public to rake up and pile the remaining material so as not to wash into the street and into drainage inlets. We are asking the public to not pile debris on top of or near drainage inlets.

One (1) intersection is flashing, and all others are operable.

Please continue to use care and watch for emergency crews.

UTILITIES & SOLID WASTE COLLECTION

Residents and businesses are reminded to contact the City Utilities Department at (239) 213-4745, if you observe any unauthorized use of fire hydrants.

Contractors who are in need of water to fill water trucks should contact the City Utilities Department at (239) 213-4745, to make arrangements to fill from a temporary water meter located outside of the Utilities Building at 380 Riverside Circle.

For solid waste collection questions, please contact the City’s Solid Waste Division at (239) 213-4700