Crews in Richardson clear over 50,000 cubic yards of debris from areas impacted by Oct. 20 tornado

Crews in Richardson are continuing to clean up debris nearly one month after a tornado wreaked havoc on the city.

As of Nov. 11, roughly 41,501 cubic yards of vegetative debris had been cleared, while construction and demolition debris totaled about 11,438 cubic yards.

An Alabama-based company that operates large trailers has been hired to remove storm-related debris from the most severely impacted areas. These trucks can hold four times the amount of debris that the city’s largest truck can hold, according to an Oct. 28 presentation by Deputy City Manager Don Magner.

As of last week, debris clearing vehicles surpassed 700 trips from the city to drop sites, according to Richardson officials.

Vegetative debris is being hauled to an offsite location, where it will remain until it can be turned into mulch, according to a city spokesperson. Through a partnership with Texas Pure Projects, the mulch is distributed to five member cities and then offered to residents at a discount.

Once the first round of debris has been cleared, the city’s contractor will follow up with another round of removal. Magner said he expects debris cleanup to continue for another four to six weeks.