What is the status of debris cleanup in the Hurricane Ike disaster areas?
From day one of the Ike disaster, FEMA has been strongly committed to helping Texans get the affected areas cleaned up, and we have demonstrated that commitment with more than $600 million in reimbursements for debris operations alone. Throughout the disaster recovery effort FEMA has reimbursed the state for 100 percent of the debris removal costs in eligible areas. Most of the debris, more than 99 percent, has now been removed from public roads, highways and other rights of way in areas affected by Ike. In all, more than 23.6 million cubic yards of debris have been cleared. That is the capacity of nearly 1.5 million average-size dump trucks. Lined up end to end, the trucks would stretch the distance from Los Angeles to New York — more than two and a half times. Additionally, within weeks of the disaster the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleared wet debris (debris floating on or submerged in water) from federally maintained navigable channels such as the Intracoastal Waterway, the Galv
