Tropical Storm Debby: Supplies For Manatee Residents, Debris Removal

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Manatee County is offering assistance to residents and businesses recovering from Tropical Storm Debby, which traveled parallel to the west coast of Florida Sunday into Monday before making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Big Bend area.

While damage assessment is ongoing, the county has identified more than $12.5 million in estimated residential damages and $60,000 in commercial damages as of Wednesday afternoon, the county said in a news release.

Distribution centers for emergency supplies, operated by the Florida National Guard, are being set up in the hardest-hit communities.

Related Stories:

• 18 Inches Of Rain Means Flooding Continues In FL After TS Debby
• Driver Of 18-Wheeler Dies After Driving Into I-75 Canal: FHP
• 500 People Rescued From Flooded Sarasota Homes, More Expected: Police
• Debby Washes Ashore $1M In Cocaine In FL Keys: Border Patrol

The first has opened at the Myakka Community Center, 10060 Wauchula Road in Myakka City, and is offering tarps, water, bleach and ready-to-eat meals.

Other locations will open soon and be shared on social media, the county said.

The county has also set up a website, mymanatee.org/debbyhelp, for residents to share their unmet needs.

During the storm, more than 111,000 residents and visitors relied on the new mymanatee.org/storm website for storm information, which is now offering recovery assistance inforation. The county also answered 4,137 calls in its expanded 311 call center since the Tropical Storm Debby activation on Friday.

Solid waste pickup resumed for county residents and businesses Tuesday and collections have been moved one day forward — Wednesday’s pickup will be Thursday, Thursday’s pickup will be Friday and Friday’s pickup will be Saturday.

Residents who have debris to remove should separate it from their regular trash, the county said. The county will make a separate plan for debris cleanup and removal.