Mayor outlines City’s 4-point plan to help residents recover from extensive storm-related tree damage

• Priority being given to damaged trees that pose imminent risk of causing damage to homes or property
• City, GFL & Waste Management to bring in 30 additional pick-up crews; Residents asked to help each other haul tree debris to curb right away

Mayor Mike Duggan and key department heads today detailed the city's emergency response to help Detroiters recover from tree damage caused by this week's heavy storms.  

“The intensity of this week’s storms has been severe and caused a great deal of tree damage that residents are having to deal with.  We want Detroiters to know that we are significantly expanding our response efforts to address this damage and to help them through the recovery process,” said Mayor Duggan

The mayor, along with officials from the City’s Department of Public Works and General Services Department, outlined a 4-point plan to address the storm damage over the next 2-3 weeks.

Residents also are being asked to gather all tree limbs that have fallen and take them to the curb as soon as possible. There will beno restriction on the size or amount of the debris that can be taken to the curb for the next 2-3 weeks and the city will not be issuing tickets for any storm debris left at the curb several days before normal bi-weekly pickup.

The city and its contractors, GFL and Waste Management, will be adding 30 additional crews to pick up tree debris and expect to be able to remove all the storm-related debris over the next 2-3 weeks.
Be a good neighbor and help those who can’t get debris to the curb on their own. The Mayor pointed out that recovering as quickly as possible form the effects of this week’s storms will need to be a communitywide effort.

“Detroiters always step in to help at times like these. This is the time for all of us to be good neighbors and help each other get these fallen tree limbs to the curb,” said Mayor Duggan.

The City’s General Services Department has 40 survey crews that have fanned out across the city to assess and prioritize complaints as they come in.

“The sooner people call us, the sooner we can get a crew out to assess the damage and come up with our plan for addressing it,” said GSD Director Crystal Perkins.

Perkins also urged residents to stay away from downed wires and to call DTE immediately at 800.477.4747 if they encounter one.