City of Sedro-Woolley offers yard waste drop-off site for residents cleaning up from flood

The city’s Department of Solid Waste is offering help towards recovery efforts. The department opened a drop-off site for storm-related yard waste free of charge to residents.

SEDRO-WOOLLEY, Wash. - Now that floodwaters from the Skagit River are beginning to recede in Sedro-Woolley, people are getting a closer look at the damages and debris left behind.

The city’s Department of Solid Waste is offering help towards recovery efforts. The department opened a drop-off site for storm-related yard waste free of charge to residents.

"It’s really important for us to all come together quickly," said Leo Jacobs, the department’s solid waste and fleet supervisor. "We just love to help here and if the city can just start the process right away everybody will just start getting back to, ‘Oh, hey…they’re helping, why don’t we help?’ And then hopefully it just carries down the line."

Not only is Sedro-Woolley recovering from disastrous flooding, high winds and gusts that reached up to 50 miles per hour also blew down several trees, limbs and debris.

"I still have several branches that are ripped and kind of endangering power lines," said Jerry Dicenzo, as he dropped off several tree limbs at the yard waste site. "Exciting, scary. Long day, early morning. A lot of branches, a lot of debris on the road."

Roads in some neighborhoods are in disrepair after chunks of asphalt were ripped off by the rushing river. Residents like Jesus Gonzalez said they need all the help they can get recovering from the flood. He lives in the flood plain and the high waters pushed one of his sheds 20 feet from his back yard to the front.

"And the water take it off," said Gonzalez while describing how fast the water moved. "Flow to the front yard and crash the Jeep."

The drop-off site is open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.. until Dec. 18.

Dicenzo said he has much more yard waste to clear from his property and will use the site frequently.

"I think everybody kind of feels like maybe we underestimated a little," said Dicenzo. It looks like a lot of work, but I’m sure we’ll all get through it and hopefully we don’t see this for a while. But I guess we know what to expect if it does happen."

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