On Friday, October 19, 2018, on Main Street in downtown Chipley, Florida in front of Tractor Supply, ‘Real Florida Magazine’ spoke with Jamie Flannery, with Ponsse North America, recently contracted with the Washington County, Florida Board of Commissioners to dispose of vegetative debris on all roads in the county following the destruction of Hurricane Michael.
The machines, called a ‘harvester’ and a ‘forwarder’ respectively, work in tandem, cutting stumps at ground level when necessary, capable of cutting a 24″ diameter free in under a second, then cutting these logs into sections, ‘processing’, or stripping branches from the logs, and depositing them in the carrier for transport.
‘This equipment is typically used in the very large and isolated logging operations found in the northern states, and only recently has been considered for urban use such as vegetative debris remediation’, said Jeff Massey, Administrator for Washington County at the arrival of the machinery.
Accompanied by Tray Hawkins and Jeff Massey, Washington County Board of Commissioners Chairman and Washington County Administrator respectively, Hawkins remarked, ‘Within just over a week after one of the worst storm events Washington County has ever seen, we are restoring power and other services, and making a start on the cleanup of the tremendous number of trees and other debris preventing the people in this county from moving forward with rebuilding their homes and their lives’.
Washington County Commissioner Todd Abbott said, ‘The Washington County Commission negotiated a great contract with Crowder Gulf Management, which allows the municipalities within the county to also join in on the rates and removal specs, ensuring that the entire County be debris-free within a reasonable period of time and for a reasonable cost, and we are proud of this accomplishment’.
Produced by Real Florida Media, a subsidiary of The Goulding Agency in Chipley, Florida.
The staff of ‘Real Florida Magazine’ has been attending meetings at the Washington County Emergency Operations Center in Wausau, staying abreast of the developments as the various phases of operation, including the storm landfall, search and rescue, disaster relief, road clearing and now cleanup, and has flown many FAA Part 107-compliant drone missions over Washington, Holmes and Jackson County, following progress as the region slowly returns to a semblance of normalcy following Hurricane Michael.
Most recently the firm has been covering meetings between FEMA and other relief agencies in Vernon and Chipley, Florida, and those interviews will be available soon.