City of Tyler keeps working on winter storm limb cleanup

TYLER – Weeks after the early February winter storm, we’re still seeing the damage. Now it’s up to solid waste to do the final stages of clean-up. “We’ve been doing about 50 work orders a day. Now we’re going to be looking to ramp it up to about 150 to 200 a day now that we have all of the contractors and all of our staff working together,” City of Tyler Solid Waste Director Leroy Sparrow told our news partner KETK. Solid Waste staffers said they have about 2,400 work orders to get through since the storm, which is more than double from the February 2021 freeze. “So far since Feb. 8, we’ve been able to do 500 work orders,” said Sparrow.

Sparrow said they are working in order of who called first and by route section. He estimated it would take them another 10 days or so to get through the initial work orders. “Most people have pushed it up to the curb. So far, crews have had minimal issues getting to the pile, so that’s good,” explained Sparrow. However, even when it’s all cleaned up, tree problems are something we’ll continue experiencing for years thanks to the lasting damage from 2021’s infamous freeze. “Now these are trees that were damaged but now they’re falling apart. I mean I think we’re going to lose could be 50 to 70 percent of the old growth trees in the next couple years here if we continue with this weather,” said Whitehouse Gardens Tree Service owner Dan Rocha. Rocha said it’s important to be proactive and hire a professional to check your trees to make sure they are healthy and strong.