In this photo from May of this year, crews remove debris from roads created by Winter Storm Fern. (Photo courtesy of MDOT)
- More debris than initially assessed is being found as the cleanup work continues from the January winter storm that blanketed North Mississippi in ice and snow.
Debris cleanup from Winter Storm Fern earlier this year is turning out to be more than initially projected.
Winter Storm Fern hit the northern part of Mississippi, as well as neighboring states, in late January, resulting in widespread power outages and damage to trees and other foliage.
Removal and clearing of the debris fell to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
David Kenney, MDOT”s Northern Public Information Officer, told Magnolia Tribune that three districts were impacted by the storm, requiring removal of the storm debris.
On Tuesday, three-man Transportation Commission heard a request from Janie Bass, MDOT”s Assistant Chief Engineer of Field Operations, to increase the amount being paid to one contractor overseeing debris removal within District 1. The day’s agenda showed the supplemental agreement increase rising from $2.1 million to just under $2.88 million.
During discussion of the request, Northern Commissioner John Caldwell (R) asked if an extension on the contract was necessary and when the contract will end.
“We’re in the process of negotiating at what time period that’s going to be and getting their schedules,” Bass said. “So, yes, we do plan on extending that.”
To Southern Commissioner Charles Busby (R), those numbers stood out, prompting him to ask if the amount in the request was correct.
“Just kind of unaccustomed to seeing a change order of that magnitude on a project that started out so low,” Busby elaborated.
Bass clarified that the numbers in the request were correct.
“The quantities for those type jobs are hard to estimate at first, and so the quantities have actually increased significantly, therefore extending the time of the project a significant amount,” Bass explained.
According to a press release issued by MDOT back in May, debris removal contracts were initially expected to be completed by last week on August 5.
“This storm was unlike any we have seen since 1994, and the damage to the Delta and north Mississippi was catastrophic,” MDOT Executive Director Brad White stated in the May release. “Our crews worked tirelessly to keep our roads as clear as possible while being away from their own loved ones who were also affected by the storm. Removing the massive amount of debris caused by this devastating storm is the next step in the recovery process.”
Kenney clarified this week that the contract taken up during Tuesday’s meeting only covers monitoring the debris removal and does not relate to the removal work. Yet, extensions for work in all districts affected by the storm are anticipated.
“In April, an initial assessment of storm debris was compiled to create a project to be let. The amount of debris was just an initial survey of debris on the ground, leaning trees and hanging limbs and an estimated contract cost was created,” Kenney said.
As the Debris Monitoring Service contractor, Thompson Engineering, began performing their work, Kenney said more debris was discovered, “including debris pushed to the road by residents that wasn’t there in the initial assessment, causing the contract amount to go up as time went on.”
“This is not uncommon in natural disasters where amounts can go up tenfold,” he added.
