It has been three weeks since the derecho knocked down trees all over Cedar Rapids. Since then residents have been cutting, dragging and tossing tree limbs and branches into curbside piles.
As of Monday, the City of Cedar Rapids said crews had made a first pass to clear debris from 25 percent of city streets and it could be a month before every street is reached for the first time.
The City of Cedar Rapids says their employees along with the Iowa Department of Transportation and private contracting crews are working seven days a week for shifts up to 12 hours to clear tree debris from curbsides.
For many residents getting limbs and branches removed from the front of their homes can’t happen soon enough.
“You turn your back, and you get one pile cleaned up, and then you turn around, and you’ve got another whole tree to clean up,” William Musser tells KCRG-TV 9.
“When I see other people are getting cleaned up, it makes me hopeful that they’re coming,” Musser says. “So you know they’re out working. You see them out working, and they’ll get to you when they can.”
(Photo from KCRG-TV 9)