I have good news. After a very productive and successful meeting with the Debris Removal Contractor and the Debris Monitoring company today, I am happy to announce that we have a date set for them to begin. That day is July 29, 2024.

As a reminder, residents in need of debris removal should consider two things prior to the pickup date. First, the debris must be related to the recent severe storms. No other junk, trash, or unrelated materials will be picked up. Second, debris that remains on private property cannot be moved by the debris contractor. They will not pick up debris unless it is in the rights-of-way. Residents are encouraged to move debris to the rights-of-way.

Contractors will be in large trucks hauling for at least 10 days. They will also have some heavy equipment cutting large trees and hanging limbs that may cause issues for the roads. They will provide flagging to properly maintain the flow of traffic.

There is no need for any resident to contact anyone to assure debris in their area is picked up. The debris contractor has been provided a very detailed map with a list of all roads and areas affected. Undoubtedly some debris may be missed as this parish has over 780 miles of parish roads, not including state highways and state roads, the police jury must maintain. Once this round of debris removal is completed, the jury will reassess how much debris is left. Thank you all and may God Bless.

Michael Norton
Parish Administrator
DeSoto Parish Police Jury