The aftermath of last week’s storm has left Lincoln grappling with an overwhelming amount of debris. Branches and foliage strewn across the city have required a significant cleanup effort, with local establishments stepping up to help.
Local mulch supplier and land cleaning company Hofeling Enterprises opened their gates the very next day after the storm, and began accepting debris from the community at no cost.
“We had a tremendous push right away from everyone,” Vice President Leanne Hofeling told KLIN News. “We just hope that our efforts have been helpful in cleaning up Lincoln and also to help strengthen our community and foster cooperation and resilience of Lincoln coming together and getting it cleaned up.”
When asked about the volume of debris and how it compares to previous storms, Hofeling explained, “I would say it’s manageable. We have brought in a couple of other storms that have been huge outside of Lincoln. Like tornadoes in Beaver Crossing and Hallam. I would say it’s probably almost equivalent to some of those storms… I would say the October of 97 storm was probably our number one storm. But this one is is ranked up there.”
Hofeling said they tried to count how many trucks came to their facility on the first day they were open, “And we lost count after 200 vehicles in a very short period of time.”
Mulching crews with Hofeling will be wading through these debris piles for the next few weeks, Hofeling estimates.
“We got a good start out at Holmes Lake. We do have the city grinding contract to help grind… we’ll see how quickly we can get through that. But I would estimate probably about 30 days or so to get it cleaned up,” she said.
Hofling expressed gratitude for the community’s efforts and cooperation, “It’s been hard on our city workers. Dealing with the power outages that we saw. It’s been nice to see neighbors coming together and helping each other out, and listening to their stories.”