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on the road headed 139 miles away to use On March 7, more than 10,000 the city much-needed financial aid and
their skills in Mt. Juliet’s cleanup. This volunteers from the surrounding area resources.
crew included three knuckleboom trucks gathered to help with the efforts. The
and operators, three two-man cutting Chattanooga crew evaluated the situation, Heroes in Hard Hats
crews with crew cabs and supplies, and deciding it was best to head home and let Musing on the cleanup and recovery
one general supervisor to assess and direct the other volunteers step in, while keeping
the operation. in contact to assess if a second trip would efforts, Holland said that oftentimes
be needed. “heroes don’t always wear capes and
Once they reached the assigned area, The Second Cleanup Trip badges. Some wear hard hats and carry
they hit the ground running. During the chainsaws on huge trucks. I’m proud
three-day cleanup, the team spent over 12 On March 11, another Chattanooga to be in an organization with such a
hours daily concentrating on the hardest- crew, consisting of 10 volunteers (and hardworking and dedicated group of
hit residential subdivisions, such as the with the same equipment as before), individuals.
Triple Crown neighborhood. The crews traveled to Mt. Juliet to evaluate and assist
averaged 15 loads each of solid waste, the cleanup efforts. This group had fewer “In 2011, the Chattanooga area was hit
excluding metal, which totaled to be community and contract volunteers, yet by a series of tornadoes, and volunteers
45-50 loads a day. During this time they worked diligently loading their knuckle- certainly played a major role in our
coordinated with volunteer contractors booms and delivering debris to the local prompt response and lengthy recovery.
and other municipalities, loading tandems city landfill without the use of tandems. We were honored to help our neighbors in
using the knucklebooms and hauling need,” he said.
debris to Mt. Juliet’s landfill. Halfway through the first day, 21 loads
of debris were removed. Two days later, 50 References:
As the crews were working throughout loads were taken to the landfill, cleaning Tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2020. (18 March
Mt. Juliet, more than 5,000 local up and removing debris just as efficiently 2020) In Wikipedia.Retrieved from https://
community volunteers began delivering as on the previous trip. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_outbreak_of_
food and water to the site, while others March_2%E2%80%933,_2020
cut up trees and helped carry debris. During both trips, Joey Wormsley, Preliminary Damage Survey Information for
Milton Stewart, a forestry supervisor and Chattanooga’s Manager of Water Quality, March 3, 2020 Tornadoes. (March 9 2020) In
veteran of severe storm cleanups, said the helped the Mt. Juliet teams gather vital NOAA. Retrieved from https://www.weather.gov/
volunteers’ efforts allowed the thankful information needed for assistance ohx/DamageSurveysfromMarch3
teams to work efficiently by staying onsite documentation to the Federal Emergency Two EF-4 and EF-3 tornadoes left a deadly trail
to take breaks and eat. Management Agency (FEMA). This type of destruction in Tennessee, weather service
of record keeping is essential in bringing confirms (March 5, 2020) in CNN. Retrieved
from https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/04/weather/
tennessee-tornado-wednesday/index.htm
View online at tnpublicworks.com 9
