Cleanup in Bloomington is expected to take weeks following the tornadoes that uprooted trees and caused substantial damage in several neighborhoods.
Deputy City Manager Sue McLaughlin said public works crews hope to reach all of the affected homes and businesses by the end of this week.
“We understand and acknowledge that there’s going to be a second and probably a third round that we’re going to have to go back as people chop down their limbs, get more stuff out to the curb,” McLaughlin said. “Our intent is to be done with storm cleanup by May 15.”
Much of the damage in the city was contained to three east side subdivisions — Holiday Knolls, Hawthorne Hills and Tipton Trails, though McLaughlin said the city doesn’t have a number of how many people were affected by the storms.
The three tornadoes, the first twisters Bloomington-Normal had experienced in 20 years, did not cause any serious injuries or deaths.
McLaughlin said public works employees, working 12-hour shifts, have removed more than 130 dump-truck loads of storm debris through early Tuesday afternoon. That equates to about 1,200 cubic yards.
The Town of Normal reported about 3,900 cubic yards of debris collected as of Monday.
McLaughlin said the city is developing a web page that will show where public works crews already have picked up debris. She also asks drivers not to park their vehicles on the street where public works crews are needed.
“We’re having trouble picking up some of the large piles of branches and wood because cars are parked on the street,” she said.
McLaughlin said forestry crews from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department are following up where needed to help cut down loose tree branches.
“There’s a lot of large limbs that are hanging that might fall, so they are coming and taking those down and placing those on the curb," she said. "That will take a little longer."
McLaughlin said city trash and recycling pickup are not affected.
The city has a link on its homepage for residents and businesses to report storm damage. She said those reports could help the McLean County Emergency Management Agency secure Small Business Administration loans and other disaster assistance for affected residents and businesses.
Bloomington, Normal and McLean County issued an emergency declaration on Saturday to aid recovery efforts.
