Little Rock, Arkansas – The deadline for the city’s debris collection from the March 31st storm was extended on Wednesday by Mayor Frank Scott Jr.
Although it has now been postponed to June 25, the original deadline was set on June 11.
According to Scott, the city has made significant progress thus far and has removed over 400,000 cubic yards of waste.
That would require the space of an entire NFL football stadium, to put it in context.
There are a few hundred thousand more to go, he pointed out.
However, some Little Rock property owners worry that even the new deadline may be too soon.
“The spirit of hope that was here in the beginning with everybody is sort of now… ‘when are things going to get better,’” Jerry Shurgar said.
Shurgar resides in Little Rock in a neighborhood that sustained significant storm damage.
“Two giant oak trees tore our deck off, ripped our sewer out of the ground, and landed on our storage building,” he said. “Just the debris there… removing it, tore up everything in our yard.”
Shurgar claimed that the persistent filth outside of people’s homes is also leaving a mess within the homes’ occupants.
“I think one of the things that you are starting to see… people are showing PTSD. People are showing grief,” Shurgar said.
Shurgar claimed that because their fence was blown apart and their property is difficult for any animal to be on, his canines have now had to be boarded nearby. Although he is not certain it would be possible, he said he hopes to see debris hauled up by June 25 for the benefit of his neighbors, family, and even the pets.