NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — Over a month after Hurricane Milton made landfall, some neighborhoods in Southwest Florida are still lined with storm debris despite the massive recovery efforts that are underway.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on debris clean up concerns in North Fort Myers:
On Grenier Drive in North Fort Myers, piles of debris are still stagnating on lawns and drive ways. Several homeowners in the area, like Chris and Lisa Luda, are living in RVs as their flooded homes are repaired.
“We’re a family of five and it's a struggle,” said Lisa “It's a struggle for the kids, for me and my husband, it's a daily battle.”
The Luda’s told Fox 4 that having the debris still on their property has stalled their plans to rebuild their home.
“It’s a constant reminder when you get home that this is still here and you can’t move forward,” said Lisa.
“We still have more stuff in the house that we need to get out, that is starting to mold,” said Chris.
The Luda’s said the pile of debris has become a hazard, is growing mold, and has been picked through by looters. They said they tried to find answers about who was supposed to pick the debris up, and when, but had not found a straight answer.
“We immediately tried to contact FEMA, and they were here, and they said we’ll get it,” said Chris. “But, then the next time you call they say “it's not on us, it's on Waste Pro or the county, or the state level” it's just a revolving door of nobody wanting to do it.”
Fox 4 took the Luda’s concerns to the county.
A spokesperson said crews picked up debris on the Luda’s street on Nov. 5 and 10, but had not collected all of it, and the “first pass is not complete yet on Grenier Drive.”
The county said the first pass has been completed on several nearby roads including Stipe Street, Cross Street, Tango Court, Wooodruff Street, Travis Avenue and Green Avenue.
The Luda's and anyone else still inundated with debris on Grenier Drive should expect a debris pick up crew "soon", according to the county.
