After the Flood: Trash and Debris Removal in Bellaire

Allison Piper, who lives in a neighborhood in northwest Bellaire which was minimally affected by Harvey, shares her thoughts on the pile of trash and debris temporarily brought near her neighborhood from homes that flooded.

In a tucked-away, industrial area just north of the Twin Oaks neighborhood, in northwest Bellaire, work unlikely heroes in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the largest flood in U.S. history - the crews responsible for removing the debris from the flooded homes in our great city. By using this temporary staging area, the City of Bellaire can remove more truckloads per day from the curbsides of homes and businesses, allowing residents and businesses to begin to rebuild their lives.

(Photo: Dylan Aguilar) 

The debris is a mountainous sight to behold; one cannot view it without thinking of the impact on the lives in our community. Each stained cushion, broken toy and splintered piece of wood is a reminder of the love and pride that went into building them, choosing them, working so hard to buy them . . . and the tears shed over everything being destroyed and having to start over again. Parents finding some way to be strong for their kids, pretending to know how it will all work out, even when they themselves are not quite sure.

For those people who must still look at the debris in their lawns, it is an ever-present reminder of the loss, and removal is as much a spiritual and emotional release as it is physical. Neighborhood by neighborhood, these city workers are greeted with smiles and tears of joy as they remove the debris and help our neighbors take an important step forward in the path to recovery.

(Photo: Dylan Aguilar) 

And recover, we will. We will rebuild. We are bigger than this hurricane, and this flood. We are Houston. We are Bellaire. And I am proud to call Bellaire my home. 

See more from the City of Bellaire on debris management and recycling.