On Wednesday, September 10, 2013, the regional officials responsible for managing storm debris removal and related activities gathered in the HRPDC Regional Boardroom to meet with pre-positioned debris management contractors. These contractors can be called upon to remove debris following a hurricane, derecho, ice storm, earthquake or even tsunami.  These regional debris contracts first developed in 2003 are designed to help localities and the region better recover from large debris-producing storms. The attending contractors were vetted earlier this year by workgroups made up of members from the Virginia Peninsula Service Authority (VPPSA) and Southside Public Service Authority (SPSA).

The September meeting was intended to provide the contractors an opportunity to share lessons learned from past and ongoing debris removal operations around the country, and for the local officials to become more familiar with each debris removal and debris monitoring firm’s capabilities and expertise. Officials from Chesapeake, Norfolk, Isle of Wight, Suffolk, Gloucester, James City, Virginia Beach, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Hampton, York, Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ), Virginia Department of Forestry, VPPSA, and SPSA were in attendance.