[StBernard] Debris removal to resume in part of Chalmette

[Westley Annis]

Debris removal to resume in part of Chalmette


>From staff reports 


St. Bernard Parish property owners located in an area that the EPA and
lawyers for a federal class-action lawsuit said was contaminated by the
Murphy Oil spill after Hurricane Katrina can expect debris of oil-free
debris to be picked up in the next few days, parish officials said
Wednesday. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved the storm debris pickup
costs to be eligible for reimbursement to the parish, Parish President Henry
"Junior'' Rodriguez said in a press release. 

Piles of debris gutted from flooded homes have accumulated along streets in
Chalmette, as parish officials waited for FEMA to authorize the parish's
debris removal contractor to pick up non oil-contaminated debris in the
spill's expanded footprint. 

The area is mostly located north of Judge Perez drive and west of the Murphy
Oil refinery. The refinery has said the locations in question were not part
of the oil-soiled area. 

Rodriguez called FEMA's approval of the collection "an important step" for
residents of those areas. 

Lawrence Green, head of Unified Recovery Group, the debris contractor hired
by St. Bernard, said pick-up should begin shortly.