When will Zeta debris be picked up and traffic lights fixed on the MS Coast?
Traffic lights are still out and piles of debris remain to be collected across South Mississippi two weeks after Hurricane Zeta hit the Coast on Oct. 29 with 100 mph winds and storm surge.
Here is what’s open and closed, which traffic lights are out and details about debris collection in the three counties and 12 cities:
What’s opening after Zeta
▪ The Sand Beach in Harrison County is open from Oak Street in Biloxi to east of Gulfport Harbor, and from the Island View Casino in Gulfport to Jeff Davis Avenue in Long Beach. Fire permits are also being issued as the Harrison County burn ban has expired.
▪ Gulfport Harbor Farmers Market reopens Nov. 18 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
▪ The Davis Bayou area ad Davis Bayou campground at Gulf Islands National Seashore will reopen Saturday. Also reopening Saturday are the boat ramp, picnic areas, pavilion, and fishing pier.
▪ Petit Bois, West Petit Bois, Horn islands and the National Park Service portion of Cat Island are open.
▪ De Soto National Forest near Wiggins has seen Crews clear 595 miles of roads and some trails of hurricane debris. Now open for day use are: Big Creek Landing, Moody’s Landing, Janice Landing, Cypress Creek Landing, Fairley Bridge Landing, Black Creek Shooting Range and Ashe Lake Recreation Area. Restrooms continue to be closed, and camping is not permitted for COVID-19 concerns.
What’s still closed
▪ The Davis Bayou Nature’s Way boardwalk trail in Ocean Springs is closed due to damage.
▪ Ship Island is closed for additional assessments and stabilization.
▪ Beach Park Pier and River Park Pier in Pascagoula are closed until damages are repaired.
▪ Harrison County parks are closed for cleanup.
▪ Harrison County’s hazardous waste site was severely damaged and is closed.
▪ Margaritaville Resort and White House Hotel in Biloxi are closed while repairs are made.
▪ The Lighthouse Pier in Biloxi was destroyed by Zeta.
▪ Parts of the Pass Christian Harbor remain closed.
Traffic signals still out
Biloxi and Gulfport have several traffic lights still out. Intersections where traffic signals are not functioning after Hurricane Zeta are:
Biloxi: Among the traffic signals still not functioning in Biloxi are:
- Eisenhower Drive — at C.T. Switzer and Rue Palafox
- Pass Road — at DeBuys Road and Beauvoir
- Howard Avenue— at Oak Street
Gulfport: Parts for the damaged traffic signals have been ordered but have have not arrived yet.
“We are asking that residents drive cautiously and treat intersections without traffic signals as four-way stops,” said LaShaundra McCarty, Gulfport public information officer. As of Friday, four fire station lights and most of the school signals are out along with lights at these locations:
- Pass Road — Ford, Tegarden, Hardy Court, Jody Nelson, 28th Street, 33rd Street
- On 30th Avenue— 13th Street, 19th Street
- Courthouse and Commerce
- Three Rivers Road — O’Neal Road, Klein Road, Reservation Drive
- Hewes — at 47th, Washington, 54th Avenue and at the old Gate
Debris removal details
Debris should be separated into tree branches and leaves, construction materials, wood fencing and large appliances with doors removed.
Sorted materials should be stacked by the street, in the first 10 feet from the road but away from overhead power lines, fire hydrants and water or gas meters. Crews can’t collect debris from private property.
Harrison County
The burn ban has been lifted for Harrison County, and crews are working in the unincorporated areas throughout the county from about 6 a.m. each day until dark.
▪ Biloxi —Crews removed more than 32,000 cubic yards of debris from neighborhoods as of Wednesday afternoon, seven days into collection. The efforts continue to collect what remains of the estimated 200,000 cubic yards of debris in Biloxi.
▪ D’Iberville — Debris removal began Thursday. Residents are asked to separate debris into categories and not place debris near trees, poles or other structures.
▪ Gulfport — Debris removal will be at full force by Monday. Crews will work simultaneously in eight zones moving street-by-street. Citizens can also use the temporary debris dumping site at the corner of Hewes Avenue and Glover Street. Cleanup is expected to take 6-8 weeks.
▪ Long Beach —Debris piles should be stacked and separated. Crews are only picking up vegetative and construction debris and will not pick up household waste, hazardous waste, refrigerators or freezers. Food from the fridge will be picked up on regular trash day.
▪ Pass Christian — The city will call a special meeting on Nov. 19 to award a contract for debris removal.
Jackson County
The county’s debris contractor began picking up Hurricane Zeta debris in the unincorporated areas on Nov. 9. Residents should separate debris and not leave appliance doors unsealed or unsecured.
▪ Gautier — Crews have started picking up only debris placed on the public right-of-way. If all debris is not picked up during the initial pass, residents should continue to push remaining debris to the right-of-way for collection on subsequent passes.
▪ Moss Point — Crews are picking up debris placed curbside and residents should separate it and not put it under power lines..
▪ Ocean Springs — Fees for building permits will be waived for residents to repair damage from Hurricane Zeta. The city is working with several debris pickup contractors using their own equipment to pick up large piles of debris as quickly as possible. Once the largest piles are removed, public works will continue to collect smaller piles and clean the right-of-way.
▪ Pascagoula — Waived building permit fees for repairing hurricane damage. Waste Pro is removing debris on the curb while the city finalizes a debris removal plan.
Hancock County
The cities are under a burn ban effective Nov. 1. The county opened bids for debris removal on Nov. 9.
▪ Bay St. Louis — The city is in the process of hiring a contractor to collect all of the debris from the streets and announced on its Facebook page this week it hopes to have a contractor on the streets within the next few days.
▪ Diamondhead — New Mayor Nancy Depreo was sworn in days after the storm. The city council will hire a company to pick up the debris and must follow FEMA guidelines to get partial reimbursement for this large expense. The city is advertising for the services and it will take several weeks to get the contract awarded, according to the city’s website.
▪ Waveland — The city is in the process of hiring contractors for debris removal and monitoring services and is working on a schedule for the work.
This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
