​Hurricane season signals a time for planning and preparation.  Staying vigilant can help us minimize property damage and make our neighborhoods safer in the event of a storm.

If you have not already done so, now is the time to complete your major vegetation and tree trimming.  Once a storm threatens, it is too late.  Haulers cannot guarantee debris pickup when a storm is approaching because there is not enough staff, equipment or time to collect and dispose of large amounts of debris; and, as wind speeds increase, trucks cannot safely travel the roads.

Palm Beach County’s Solid Waste Authority recommends that your trimming include cutting back trees and weak branches that could contact buildings.  Also, thin your foliage so that the wind can flow freely through the branches, decreasing the chance that trees or plants will uproot.  Keep in mind that in the unincorporated areas, six cubic yards is the maximum amount of yard waste allowable at the curb, and that major land clearing or tree removal debris is not eligible for collection at the curb and must be taken to a SWA facility for disposal.  If you hire a lawn care or tree trimming service, consider contracting with them to haul away the debris.  If you live within a municipality, check with your city officials to confirm what their collection policies require.

When you have the vegetation squared away, clean your yard of any items that could pose a danger in hurricane force winds such as old lumber or broken lawn furniture and place it at the curb on your bulk waste collection day.

In 2017, Hurricane Irma left almost 3 million cubic yards of vegetative debris on the ground, which took three months and cost more than $30 million to collect and dispose.  If we can keep up with regular yard and tree maintenance, it will help lessen the amount of debris that must be collected and deposited following a storm and shorten the time of recovery efforts.

SWA coordinates with the Emergency Operations Center to monitor a storm’s potential path to decide if facilities have to close or if they have to suspend collection services.  The Authority offers hurricane information to help residents understand best practices, addressing priorities after a storm passes, and other valuable tips at: https://swa.org/408/For-Residents.

Additionally, Palm Beach County’s Cooperative Extension Service provides guidance on trimming and pruning techniques, restoring trees after a hurricane, and designing a more wind-resistant landscape.  Links to this information, as well as phone numbers for asking hurricane-related and other landscaping questions are available at Hurricanes and Your Landscape.

I hope that these tips will help you stay prepared.  For overall hurricane preparedness recommendations, visit www.ReadyPBC.org.

As always, if there is any way I can assist you, please contact me at (561) 355-2201 or by email at hvaleche@pbcgov.org. Remember, stay safe and be prepared.