MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ County commissioners have fired the company that was cleaning up after a winter ice storm. <br><br>The Minnesota company had 12 miles of county roads yet to clean and planned to
Tuesday, June 19th 2001, 12:00 am
By: News On 6
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ County commissioners have fired the company that was cleaning up after a winter ice storm.
The Minnesota company had 12 miles of county roads yet to clean and planned to finish June 30, ahead of its July 6 deadline. County workers will clean up the rest of the tree limbs from the December storm.
County officials said Ceres Environmental Services of Brooklyn Park, Minn., was dropping off more debris at the dump site than workers were picking up from storm-damaged areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency reimburses the county 100 percent for the cost of the cleanup, but only for trees damaged by the ice storm.
The company told the county some ineligible debris might have to be cut in order to reach all the eligible debris. The company said it would absorb the costs, but some county commissioners were concerned the county would be billed later for the debris not covered by FEMA.
The Christmas Day storm dropped tree limbs and power lines, knocking out electricity and shutting down some rural water companies.
FEMA estimated the cost for public assistance for the state at more than $158 million, with damages in Muskogee County totaling more than $5 million. The cost of debris removal in the county was estimated at $705,580.
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