Deadlines loom for storm debris pickup

In Wake County, residents should put all debris on the roadside Tuesday, ahead of the county's final tornado cleanup sweep this week. The county estimates spending $2.63 million on overall cleanup from the April 16 tornadoes, including at least $870,000 to clear leaning trees and hanging limbs alone.

The city of Raleigh said all vegetative debris, such as tree limbs and bushes, should be placed at the curb by Wednesday but that residents could make special pickup arrangements with the city's contractor until June 11.

City waste management crews have picked up 200,000 cubic yards of tornado-torn trees, branches and bushes since the twister hit. The vegetation will be ground up and turned into mulch, officials said.

Any vegetative debris placed at the curb will be hauled away, the city said, but it's up to residents to dispose of wood and metal roofing.

Wake County will allow free dumping of those materials at one of 11 waste convenience centers until Sunday:

The state Department of Transportation was finishing its collections in Johnston County Tuesday, and in Cumberland County, officials anticipated that the final day for debris pickup would be Friday.

Some nonprofit organizations are also offering cleanup help. The Baptist's Men, for example, are offering free tree removal, which can typically cost homeowners anywhere from $100 to more than $2,500 per tree, depending on the size. 

Since April 16, more than 10,000 volunteers with the disaster relief group have helped remove toppled trees and other vegetative debris from the yards of more than 450 homeowners, many in Wake County. The group has 265 disaster recovery trailers across the state.