City surveys damage, cost not known yet

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - City crews are still working hard to clear all the streets in Fort Wayne, but it could take three months before everything is completely cleaned up.

Fort Wayne officials gathered Sunday to give the media a progress report on storm cleanup.

"Our city was totally devastated as far as trees down signals down and homes and cars in some cases," Mayor Tom Henry said. "We had 90 mile an hour winds and the city of Fort Wayne paid the price."

Friday's storm knocked down around 500 tress all across town, Henry said. Many were blocking major roads. Six private contractors were called in to help city crews clear the debris starting Friday night.

"We're trying to get through the city the best we can and we try to go to the hardest hit areas first. The major corridors that were impassible because trees were down had to be opened first for emergency vehicles and for traffic flow," Henry said. "Then the secondary streets where the busses go and then the third tier is the residential streets, including my street. It hasn't been addressed yet." 

Henry said the main roads should all be unblocked and opened by Sunday night.

There are several ways people can get rid of tree debris as they clean up their yards, but city officials remind everyone the burn ban is still in effect.

"The rain we received the other night was not significant to lift that burn ban," Amy Biggs, the chief of the Fort Wayne Fire Department, said. "The drought conditions make it extremely dangerous for other homes and citizens."

Mayor Henry added people burning any material will be cited.

"It's a serious charge. It's a Class B misdemeanor," Rusty York, the chief of the Fort Wayne Police Department, said. "This includes fireworks as well."

Intersections without a working light become four-way stops. About 54 traffic signals remained non-functioning Sunday afternoon.

"Most people have been doing pretty well," York said. "We had a couple accidents early on, but no serious accidents."

While everyone is working to get the city back to normal, Henry said the community is coming together through the damage.

"It was really neat to see so many neighbors helping neighbors, bringing out chainsaws, and children in some cases to remove branches," he said. "It's been uplifting to see people helping one another."

About 150 city workers and private contractors continue working to clear the streets of debris and power lines, in the aftermath of Friday’s severe thunderstorm.

Emergency and medical officials are also asking residents to check on senior citizens, homebound residents or those with limited resources who may be stranded inside their homes, without phone service and without power.

City workers from the all divisions – including Parks, Public Works, Utilities, Police, Fire and Community Development – are assisting with the storm. This includes 311 call takers, who worked late Friday and on Saturday to return calls, and crews from City Utilities, Public Works and Parks, who worked overtime Friday and 12-hour days on the weekend to remove trees blocking streets.
 

The following story was posted after NewsChannel 15 talked with city officials on Saturday.

The city of Fort Wayne worked hard Saturday to clear trees and debris from the streets and sidewalks after Friday's storm wreaked havoc on the area.

"We've had crews out since the storm yesterday. Mayor Henry called all divisions together, parks, public works, city utilities and some private contractors to get debris out of the streets," Frank Suarez, the city's spokesperson, said.

At one point 15 major roads were blocked, but those were cleared as quickly as possible. Some city vehicles and park buildings were damaged too.

"We're assessing the damage of how many trees were uprooted or broken. We think that will take through Monday to get that completed," Suarez said.

Suarez said if a tree is on someone's property, it is up to that property owner to remove it. If the tree is blocking the street, people should call 911. If traffic can pass around the tree or it isn't a safety hazard, people should call the city's 311 hotline and leave a message.

"Take pictures of the tree on your car or house before you remove it so you have proof of what happened. And, that can help us later if damage does become at a level where we need to get state or federal assistance, we will have other photos to help tell the story," Suarez said.

Because they are still assessing the damage, Suarez said he didn't know how much the storm will end up costing the city.

Crews are also working hard to get any damage in parks fixed quickly so scheduled events won't be affected. Headwaters Park did have significant damage , but its director said the festivals there won't be affected.