TYLER, Texas — The Smith County Commissioners Court is starting the process of seeking bids to hire a contractor to help with storm debris cleanup.
On Tuesday, commissioners gave the county's purchasing department the authority to solicit bids for storm cleanup and monitoring.
Smith County Emergency Management Coordinator Brandon Moore said back-to-back storms in late May and early June caused debris to fall onto over 300 county roads. The demand is too much to keep up with and the fire hazard is becoming more prevalent as the temperatures rise.
Many people have been working Monday through Friday and on the weekends with several not getting a day off since the beginning of the storms, Moore said.
"We're looking at it from if we use our personnel and our equipment. We just don't have that much of it," Moore said. "So it's going to take a long time and with us going into fire season, all of that debris now constitutes a life and safety hazard."
Moore said the commissioners will work to create a bid and choose a contractor suited for the county's needs.
He added the companies that Smith County is seeking are often specialized in picking up debris after destructive storms across the nation.
"I mean they'll have this picked up in no time whereas we do it. I mean, it could be months, you know because like I said, we only have so much equipment, we only have so much personnel and they still have their normal job," Moore said. "You know now we're going into mowing season so stuff doesn't stop just because we got damaged by storms."