ORANGE CITY, Fla. — Three weeks after Hurricane Milton made landfall, residents in Volusia County are still dealing with debris left behind by the storm.

What You Need To Know

  • Some residents in Volusia County say they are still dealing with storm debris left behind by Hurricane Milton

  • To help clean up some of the vegetative debris, the county has opened a new location for citizens to drop it off

  • The new site is located at 1360 Veterans Memorial Parkway in Orange City and opens daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

  • It’s the fourth of its kind the county has opened since Hurricane Milton to help speed up the recovery process

 Resident Ian Sanmoogan drove to the vegetative debris disposal drop-off site in DeLand to help with the cleanup. 

“I already cleared my home out — this is for my friend's and family home," he said. "So, I kind of do this on my off days to help them out."

On Thursday, Volusia County announced the opening of a fourth vegetative debris disposal drop-off site as part of the recovery efforts. The new site is located at 1360 Veterans Memorial Parkway in Orange City and is the fourth of its kind the county has opened since Milton.

People who show proof of residency can dispose of vegetative debris, free of charge, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily at the new site in Orange City as well as the three existing ones, which are located at:  

  • 1990 Air Park Road, Edgewater
  • Tomoka Landfill, 1990 Tomoka Farms Road, Port Orange
  • Old Plymouth Landfill, 1991 W Plymouth Ave., DeLand

“I feel like it's helpful because it's free, but I feel like they can make it a little better by helping us once we get here,” Sanmoogan said, referring to the fact that they are self-serve sites where the residents have to unload and dispose the debris themselves.  

In addition to the drop-off sites, Public Works Director Ben Bartlett said the county is continuing to pick up debris in unincorporated areas of the county and along county roads.

“As of yesterday evening, we've picked up just over 50,000 cubic yards of debris," he said. "Our contractor has ramped up. We've worked with them to get it up upwards of 30 hauling units in the county, picking up on county roads."

He said in the last two days, crews averaged 7,600 cubic yards. 

“We're hopeful that based on those averages, an in that capacity, that we're going to be able to meet the governor's requirement of getting this debris picked up within the time frame of the 100% reimbursement from FEMA,” Bartlett said. That deadline is Jan. 11, 2025.

Spectrum News also reached out to cities within Volusia County to ask how the debris pickup process is going.

So far, several cities have responded. In total, they reported picking up more than 89,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris.

  • Port Orange: 34,000 cubic yards
  • New Smyrna Beach: 24,000 cubic yards
  • Edgewater: 9,400 cubic yards
  • Orange City: 6,789 cubic yards
  • Deltona: 6,102 cubic yards
  • Holly Hill: 7,025 cubic yards
  • Daytona Beach Shores: 156 cubic yards
  • Ponce Inlet: 2,251 cubic yards

Bartlett said the county has 30 hauling units provided by contractors and three road and bridges crews working to pick up debris.

“We're working as fast as we can, you know, we're partnering with the municipalities, we're working with our contractor to try to get this material picked up as fast as possible," Bartlett said. "And I think we're on the right track."

Volusia County will begin collecting vegetative storm debris stemming from Hurricane Milton on private roads in unincorporated areas starting Friday, Nov. 1.

Initially, the county's debris operations, which began on Oct. 18, received Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approval to request reimbursement for debris pickup on county-maintained roads. FEMA has now extended its authorization, allowing the county to seek reimbursement for debris removal costs on private roads as well.

County crews and contractors will make a single pass to collect unbagged vegetative debris. Residents along private roads in unincorporated areas must separate vegetative debris from bagged debris, as well as from construction and demolition materials. The program will exclude bagged debris, construction materials, electronics, and hazardous items such as paint and tires. Only unbagged vegetative debris is eligible for collection.

The county's debris hotline (833-843-2985) is available daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to address questions about debris removal.

Those living within city limits should contact their local city government for debris removal information.