Williamson County outlines three‑month debris plan after winter storm; federal aid sought

Williamson County emergency management on Feb. 9 provided a detailed account of the county’s response to a recent winter storm, including shelter activations, mutual aid, and large‑scale debris management.

Todd Horton, director of emergency management, said the county activated its Emergency Operations Center to level 3, coordinated shelters at Franklin High and Fairview High and worked with municipal, nonprofit and utility partners on search, rescue and recovery. "We submitted our initial damage assessments, which was already at $9.9 million across Williamson County," Horton said, adding that the county had exceeded the $1.1 million local threshold for federal assistance and that FEMA had approved a major disaster declaration that can reimburse 75% of eligible public assistance costs.

Debris operations and timeline: Solid‑waste staff estimated roughly 80,000 tons of vegetative debris remain countywide and said processing and pickup could take approximately three months given equipment constraints, the scale of material and ongoing regular duties. The county instituted temporary measures: establishing 11 temporary debris sites for grinding material, increasing resident landfill limits from 5 to 10 tons for 30 days, and hiring contractors to assist with grinding and landfill operations. Residents were asked to report private‑property debris needs via the county’s site and the text keyword DEBRIS to 888777.

Budget and recovery: County officials said federal and state reimbursement mechanisms will cover substantial shares of the cost (75% federal, and historically the state covers half of the local share — about 12.5% — leaving a county 12.5% responsibility), but county staff warned of revenue losses from temporarily waived tipping fees and that additional staffing or contractor costs may be required.

Outlook: Officials urged residents to safely stage debris at the right of way (not blocking roads) and to use county guidance on williamsonready.org. Solid‑waste managers said they will continue to assess capacity and pursue contractor support and federal reimbursements while trying to maintain normal services.