GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two weeks removed from powerful storms and a confirmed tornado in West Michigan, cleanup efforts are continuing all across the region.
While that may sound like plenty of time to pick up the pieces, the scope of the damage has been such that crews are still out on a daily basis working to clean things up. They had to prioritize those efforts to hit the most crucial areas first and are still working to get to everyone.
Joe Sulak, the Park Superintendent for the City of Grand Rapids told us, "as a city, our first priority is making sure that roadways are as clear as possible. That if there's power lines down, we know where those are, you know, we work closely with Consumers Energy, we work closely interdepartmentally. It's been a colossal effort on public works, forestry, you know, our nonprofit partners, everybody out here is doing things to make sure that, you know, the streets are are movable, that the parks are usable, that people can get around".
While many of those main areas of focus are now cleaned up and put back together, it's the remaining areas that are still likely to take some time. Joe tells us the process is not as simple as just going out and loading up a truck with debris.
He continued, "we're making sure that things are cut up and are [in] movable links, and then we've got in-house and contractor resources, people are going to be picking up this debris, making big piles, like what you see behind us, and then the piles will be dealt with and removed from there. So we're trying to create areas that you know, are not obtrusive to the use of the area, but also are easy to get to".
Joe wanted people to know that if you have questions or concerns regarding the cleanup process, to reach out to the city by dialing 311, and they will look into it.
-- Meteorologist Michael Behrens
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