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BUCKHANNON — Everything the flood ruined — furniture, drywall, appliances, soaked belongings — needs to be at the curb by noon Tuesday, July 28, to be picked up for free by the West Virginia Army National Guard. Officials are asking residents not to wait.
Officials from the City of Buckhannon, the Upshur County Commission and the Upshur County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management announced the new deadline Saturday evening in coordination with the Guard, calling it “part of a countywide initiative to accelerate cleanup and support families affected by recent flooding.”
The free debris collection includes both inside Buckhannon city limits and throughout Upshur County.
There is currently no way to request a pickup or to see a schedule of when debris will be picked up at any given location. Guard units are going property to property and neighborhood to neighborhood. Just put debris at the curb, and crews will get it, officials said.
Items should go at the edge of the right-of-way “in a manner that does not block roadways, sidewalks or drainage paths,” according to the announcement. Guard units “will work systematically across impacted neighborhoods.”
Where the pile sits matters. The West Virginia Emergency Management Division said Saturday that crews collect from public property, not from inside yards.
“The WVNG will be coming around to collect debris directly on public property,” the division said. “There can be some limitations when accessing private property, so we must have access to the debris on public property.”
And please, only put out flood debris.
“Debris removal is for flood debris only,” the division said, adding that crews frequently find the collection being used for spring cleaning. “We must use our resources appropriately for flood recovery purposes only.”
The Guard has been deployed for cleanup since the water went down. Statewide, it has 234 personnel and 64 vehicles deployed and has cleared more than 1,350 tons of debris, according to a recovery update from Governor Patrick Morrisey’s office.
Residents on back roads and side streets will see crews as well.
“Short answer, yes,” the division said. “Long answer, it will take a little more time. We cannot assure a definitive time frame, but people are working around the clock to ensure your safety, and theirs, as we gather debris.”
The noon Tuesday deadline for getting material to the curb applies everywhere, back roads included.
For drinking water, free meals, volunteer help, crisis counseling and the latest on the federal disaster request, see our full flood recovery update.
