Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Isabel struck the Charlottesville area, City residents and University students continue to deal with the daily inconveniences of the storm's aftermath. For the most part, major cleanup efforts have been completed throughout Charlottesville, but smaller debris remain a problem -- especially off Grounds.
"I guess our biggest concern right now is getting all the brush and debris up for our residents through the free curbside pickup," City spokesperson Maurice Jones said.
If residents "put their debris out after we had worked their neighborhoods, they can still have their debris picked up," Jones said. Residents should call the city in order to participate in a "large item pickup."
While residents still may be facing inconveniences in their everyday routines, the City has not received any recent reports of power outages, and Jones said all roadways were cleared soon after the hurricane. Transportation services are running on normal schedules, he said.
Representatives from Charlottesville Public Works could not be reached for comment yesterday.
On Grounds, recovery efforts are progressing similarly; extended cleanup moves along at a steady pace. Most of the major cleanup work was finished within a week after the hurricane, said Chris Willis, director of Facilities Management.
Facilities Management staff "went out and took care of it very well," Willis said. "We got lucky."
Willis explained that while the bulk of the debris has been cleared, because of the "spotty" nature of the storm damage, there still remain some areas on Grounds that require attention.
"There is going to be a lot of tree work -- it will probably be going on for the next five or six months," he said. "We'll be working for the next few years with the landscape architects to find replacement trees."
While those on Grounds can expect to see reconstructive landscape work throughout the coming months, Charlottesville residents might encounter problems, such as downed trees, when visiting local parks.
"It's hard to say right now when the parks' cleanup will be finished," Jones said. "It is probably going to take a few weeks on the debris pickup."
Both Charlottesville and University officials urge residents to report any remaining storm-related problems so they can be dealt with immediately.
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