BELL COUNTY, Texas — Bell County residents still suffering from damage and debris from May's storms may soon get some extra help.
Bell County announced that its brush removal contractor, Ceres Environmental, will officially begin operations on Friday, June 7 for Temple residents.
The Bell County Road and Bridge Department has reportedly been working to assist residents in the unincorporated part of the county with brush and debris removal, but will now be getting "a helping hand".
Bell County said the initial brush removal efforts will be focused on areas that were hit the hardest by the severe weather, namely the unincorporated areas in the northwest of the county. These areas include:
- Unincorporated area west of FM 2271, off FM 2305
- Woodland Trails
- Woodland Point
- Buck Lane area
- Unincorporated areas west of Morgan’s Point Resort
- Sparta Road area
- Water Works
- Denmans Mountain Road
- Denmans Loop
- Moffat, south of State Highway 36
The County encourages residents both within and outside of this area to move all debris to the right-of-way, as neither Ceres crews or county crews will enter onto private property to remove brush.
“We really ask that residents do their best to exercise patience and bear with us,” Bell County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Reinhard said. “This process is going to continue for several days.”
According to the County, they plan for operations to be "flexible" and "capable of adapting as needed".
In the first stage, crews will reportedly work to remove the bulk of debris from county rights-of-way, after which Ceres will deploy bucket trucks back through areas to cut any leaning or hanging tree limbs before another round of clean-up crews comes through.
“If you see crews working in your area, please don’t panic if they don’t immediately remove your brush," Reinhard said. "They are going to be moving through areas more than once.”
Bell County said additional trucks are expected to be deployed to the east side of the county the following week.
“We know that property owners in more rural areas may be more likely to pile and burn brush themselves,” Reinhard said. “However, Ceres has been instructed to treat those areas the same as any other, and to get all brush removed from the right-of-way.”
A 360° vehicle, similar to those used to create Google Earth images, will reportedly be used to map debris locations, ensuring trucks can efficiently follow-up in areas as needed.
Residents with questions are encouraged to email belloem@bellcounty.texas.gov.
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