- April 25, 2024
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As of Oct. 25, more than 55,514 cubic yards of debris had been cleared in Palm Coast – enough to fill nearly 17 Olympic-size swimming pools. (Photo by Brian McMillan)
Sheriff's Office Sr. Cmdr. Steve Cole; Cris McLaughlin, site director for Project WARM; Cmdr. Steve Brandt; Hillary Medlin and her son Xavier, 13 months; Deputy Robert Tarczewski; and Sgt. Jon Welker (Photo courtesy of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office)
Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Steve Cole; Sandra McDermott, Flagler Beach Rotary Club; Cmdr. Steve Brandt; Deputy Robert Tarczewski; and Sgt. Jon Welker display Halloween costumes. (Photo courtesy of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office)
The city of Palm Coast and its contractor are continuing to pick up debris from Hurricane Matthew seven days a week, according to a city of Palm Coast government news release.
As of the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 25, 1,576 truckloads had been picked up, equating to more than 55,514 cubic yards – enough to fill nearly 17 Olympic-size swimming pools.
So far, more than half of Palm Coast’s public streets have had their first round of the pickup. Cleanup crews plan to make one full pass of all public streets before returning for a second and then a third round of pickups, if warranted. The process is expected to take a number of weeks to complete.
The debris is being taken temporarily to a city-owned parcel of land on U.S. 1 between Palm Coast Parkway and Matanzas Woods Parkway. Beginning this weekend, a contractor will begin grinding up the vegetative debris such as tree branches.
Because of that large, commercial debris-grinding operation, the nearby Shell Trail between Indian Trails Middle School and Belle Terre Elementary School will be temporarily closed between U.S. 1 and Belle Terre Parkway beginning Saturday, Oct. 29, and remain closed until further notice.
Debris removal at residences along Palm Coast’s public streets will continue seven days a week. The city will be picking up any and all debris brought to the curb along public streets. The city appreciates residents’ patience as this big job continues.
The pickup is being handled by a city contractor, CrowderGulf, which is picking up loose piles of vegetative debris such as tree branches and loose piles of construction and demolition materials such as roof shingles and fence sections; by Palm Coast’s regular trash hauler, Waste Pro, which is collecting yard debris that has been bagged; and by city public works crews.
To expedite debris removal from residential streets, the city asks residents to help by separating everything at the curb into the following categories:
The city is tracking the debris removal process to ensure no public streets are missed in the debris collection process. If you live on a private street within a gated community, contact your Homeowners Association to determine its plans for removing the debris out of the private neighborhood. When requested by a Homeowners Association, the city is assisting in coordinating Waste Pro services to assist in the cleanup effort in gated communities.
For more information, contact Jason Giraulo, Digital Communications coordinator, at 986-2484 and [email protected].
Members of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office carried bags full of children’s clothes, diapers, juice boxes and Halloween costumes — gifts for babies and youngsters who started their lives addicted to drugs — to Project WARM on Oct. 27, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
Project WARM — Women Assisting Recovering Mothers — is a long-term residential program for women with drug and alcohol dependence. The women who enter treatment are permitted to include their children in the treatment process. Children under 6 may live at the facility with their mother.
While they’re in treatment, the women live in a therapeutic community with clinical help from a team of therapists, therapeutic groups and individual therapy. During the week when the moms attend the clinical programming, their babies and children attend the on-site child development center provided by Easter Seals.
Recently, Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jon Welker and Deputy Robert Tarczewski organized a Sheriff’s Office drive to collect supplies, clothing and Halloween costumes for Project WARM. As a dad himself, Welker said he has “a soft spot for kids.”
“It’s hard enough growing up in this world, and even harder when you’re behind the eight-ball,” Welker said.
Thirty to 40 people from the Sheriff’s Office, and the Flagler Beach Rotary Club donated items to the program.
Donations mean so much to the program participants, said Amy Yager, assistant director of Project WARM.
Currently, 18 children and their moms live at Project WARM, ranging from 6 weeks to 2.5 years old, said site director Cris McLaughlin.
“We show the moms how to (bond and) love,” McLaughlin said. “We work on getting the babies to trust people.” The goal is to expose children to the Sheriff’s Office and fire department because the kids’ experiences with law enforcement often haven’t been positive, McLaughlin said.
Children who come to Project WARM require different kinds of care, McLaughlin said, because of the physical challenges they began their young lives with. Even so, she said, the center has at least an 85 percent success rate for the kids. And the goal is to help the moms learn parenting skills and gain confidence to move on with their lives.
“We try to keep this as close to a normal day care center as possible. So when they transition into the community, it’s not so hard,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a small environment so we can provide the care that they need.”
Bringing the items to Project WARM might make a small difference in the young children’s lives, Welker said. And on Oct. 27, several of the infants were wearing Halloween costumes purchased just for them.
Flagler County is closing its call-in center, effective immediately, as FEMA has opened a Disaster Recovery Center at the Palm Coast Branch Library to help residents affected by Hurricane Matthew, according to a Flagler County government news release.
Residents with local questions should call the Flagler County Administration office during normal business hours at 313-4001 as the former call-in number will be inoperable. Residents within the city limits of Palm Coast should call the customer service line at 986-2360.
“Most of the calls we have been fielding have been specific to FEMA,” Flagler County Administrator Craig Coffey said. “Representatives from FEMA will be better able to answer residents’ questions about the federal processes.”
The Disaster Recovery Center will be open inside the library from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and closed Sunday. The address is 2500 Palm Coast Parkway NW.
FEMA recommends that residents register first – either online at disasterassistance.gov or by phone at 800-621-3362 – to ease the process once they get to the Disaster Recovery Center.
Residents who need a ride to the Disaster Recovery Center can schedule a free ride through Flagler County’s transportation department, 313-4100.
“They will need to tell the dispatcher at the time of the call that they need a ride to the Disaster Recovery Center at the Palm Coast Library,” said General Services Director Heidi Petito. “Residents do not need to be registered with us to get a ride to the center, as it is above and beyond our regular service.”
FEMA services include: guidance regarding disaster recovery; clarification of any written correspondence received; housing assistance and rental resource information; answers to questions, problem resolution and referrals to agencies that may provide further assistance; status of applications being processed by FEMA; crisis counseling; disaster legal services; and disaster unemployment.
Representatives from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be on hand to answer questions about disaster assistance and low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters and businesses. Additionally, they will help residents apply for federal disaster assistance.
Palm Coast will have a public ceremony to unveil a new name on the Fallen Hero Memorial at Heroes Memorial Park at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, according to a city of Palm Coast government news release. The park is at 2860 Palm Coast Parkway NW, about half a mile west of the Flagler County Library.
The name of U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Steven Martin O’Neill, a 2005 graduate of Flagler Palm Coast High School, was recently added to the Fallen Hero Memorial, and the memorial will be unveiled at the ceremony.
SSgt. O’Neill’s father and stepmother, Steven and Catherine O’Neill of Palm Coast, will be in attendance to participate in the ceremony.
SSgt. O’Neill was home on leave from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana in June 2011 when he died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Flagler Beach.
A member of U.S. Air Force Security Forces, the 24-year-old O’Neill was assigned to the 2nd Security Forces Squadron, 2nd Mission Support Group, 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB.
He joined the Air Force in 2005, shortly after graduating from high school, and served as a Security Forces Patrol Leader and Game Warden during his military service.
He also served six months in Iraq in 2007 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. O’Neill was nearing the end of his enlistment and was planning to continue his career in law enforcement.
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts will be the guest speaker at the ceremony. The Palm Coast Fire Department Honor Guard will present the colors, and representatives of AMVETS Post 113 of Palm Coast will present a wreath and lead the invocation. Palm Coast resident Mary Giraulo will sing The Star-Spangled Banner and lead the audience in God Bless the USA.
In addition to the mayor, who will emcee the ceremony, members of the City Council will attend the ceremony. Community members are encouraged to attend.
