LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The tornadoes that ripped through western Kentucky last Friday turned homes, businesses, and any other building in their path into splintered piles of hazardous debris. Clearing away that mountain of waste will be a “herculean task,” Kentucky Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett said Tuesday.
But it's a task that’s necessary to rebuild homes and to restore spirits.
“It feels pretty good, to not just be pushing this stuff out of the way, but to be loading it up and taking it out of town,” Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday. “There’s something therapeutic about taking chaos and destruction and death, and taking it out of some of those areas.”
Less than a week after the storms hit, there are many questions related to the clearing of the debris, including where it will go.
Beshear noted Tuesday that “emergency procedures” allow disaster debris to go landfills where it might not have otherwise been allowed. “There are emergency procedures in place that give you a little extra latitude,” he said.
He also mentioned that nine acres of land has been identified in Mayfield as a potential landing spot for debris.
Asked about plans for the debris Tuesday, John A. Mura, spokesperson for the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, said, “We are in discussions daily with local, state and federal partners about what is the most expedient, safest, and most environmentally sound path forward for this material.”
“We should know more in the coming days how this will get done,” he added.
On Monday, the Defense Department said 44 members of the Kentucky National Guard were working on debris clearance. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assisting in that effort, the DOD reported.
It’s a job that will take a “significant” amount of time, Beshear said. And it’s likely to produce an endless amount of rubble.
The tornadoes that ripped through Joplin, Missouri in 2011 created 3 million cubic yards of debris, sending as much as 12 tons of debris a minute to one Kansas landfill. Among the debris from the storm is twisted metal, shards of wood, and sheets of drywall. But there are also other items of concern.
In the aftermath of the Joplin tornadoes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up special collections for hazardous items, including many household products such as cleaners, batteries, and electronic equipment. Household appliances, known as “white goods,” are also a concern given the refrigerant gases and decaying food that may be inside of them.
A 2019 document from the Environmental Protection Agency entitled “Planning for Natural Disaster Debris,” includes a list of items that must be disposed of with care, including ammunition, vehicles and contaminated soil. Materials can also be contaminated by exposure to sewage or petroleum products and the tornado could have also damaged materials that contain lead or asbestos.