DETROIT – More than a week after severe storms moved through Metro Detroit, piles of fallen branches and debris remained along the curb Tuesday on Griggs Avenue on Detroit’s west side, causing headaches for residents as the city said it’s continuing to respond to a “record number” of reports of storm damage.
The street is lined with city trees.
Residents said they hauled the limbs from their yards and stacked them curbside after the storms earlier this month, then spent days calling the city’s Forestry Division for help.
“I still have dead branches hanging. Every time there’s a storm, they fall,” said Oria McClain, who says he made several calls to the city in the days after the storms.
Ashielia Thomas said the lingering hazards are a worry for families in the neighborhood.
“If you go look that way, there’s branches falling,” Thomas said. “We’ve got grandkids running around and stuff.”
On Tuesday (July 14), residents also received notices from Waste Management, stating that debris would need to be cut down and bundled for pickup.
In a statement, Crystal Perkins, director of Detroit’s General Services Department, said the storms generated a “record number of calls” to the forestry team about downed trees.
Perkins said the city has been prioritizing “trees blocking streets and sidewalks and on homes” and that residents can report debris from city trees using the Improve Detroit app or the city’s website.
A spokesperson for the department said the debris on Griggs Avenue had been assigned and was scheduled for pickup Wednesday morning.
Neighbors said the lack of communication has been frustrating.
“In a reasonable time, I’m looking for some kind of response,” McClain said.
Perkins said once reported, the city’s General Services Department or Department of Public Works will pick up debris free of charge. Requests can be made at detroitmi.gov/ImproveDetroit.
Instructions for creating a report using the Improve Detroit app are available here.