TEMPLE, Texas — There was a sigh of relief to be heard as trucks moved through Temple neighborhoods removing fallen trees and branche — something homeowners have been waiting quite a while for.
”About a month since the storm came in February, the neighborhood has been really messy — we were really happy when we heard Temple was going to bring in some extra help," said Mary Martinez, Temple Homeowner.
This was help the city says they needed because there was just too much for them to handle after the devastating ice storm last month.
”Our city crews picked up 270,000 cubic yards of debris from the February ice storm and so far, we estimate that we’ve only gone through half,” said Nohely Mackowiak, Public Relations Manager for the City of Temple.
“That means that there is still a lot of debris all over the place.”
Estimating that it would take them another four months to clean up on their own, they hired D&J Enterprises to give them a hand.
”They’re going to come in and just take care of all of the trees and the limbs that you see on the side of the road and we’re going to focus on just the bulk and the trash until they’re complete,” Mackowiak said.
It was music to the ears of John Haydon who lost both trees in the front of the home he has owned for 42 years to ice storms.
”Two years ago I lost the tree on the left and this year, I lost the other tree, and it damaged my car,” Haydon said.
“The roof and insurance will take care of that — I also damaged the edge of my roof on the house.”
He joined his neighbors in celebration as he watched the tree get hauled away.
”I just thank them. They’re doing a good job and it was much needed,” Haydon said.
“I'm glad they're here.”
”Thank you guys form coming to support Temple and clean our mess so we can have our city looking nice again,” Martinez said.
The city is paying $400,000 to D&J Enterprises for the work they hope to have completed by Easter.
