Hallsville unites for post-storm cleanup

HALLSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Hallsville is coming together for a massive debris cleanup following last week’s severe thunderstorms that swept through Boone County.

Residents can bring fallen branches from their yards to the community center on Highway OO. Carlie Burke and her family spent Sunday morning cleaning up their properties, filling a truck with debris from just one area of their properties.

The June 13 storm brought 80 mph winds to northern Boone County. Residents reported trees crashing through their roofs and powerlines getting taken down by the storm. Boone County also diagnosed a "programming issue" with storm sirens in the area that led to them not going off while the storm came through.

Some of the fallen branches are too big to pick up by hand—even with the help of young her young son.

"It’s basically like the top half of a tree in the front yard, which is also part of our family property. We’ll have to cut it down at some point," said Burke.

None of Burke’s family properties were damaged in the storms.

For residents without access to a truck or trailer, the City of Hallsville offers a "Branch-Hauling Hero" service to assist with debris pickup.

Drop-offs at the community center are available from Sunday to Wednesday, and again from June 23rd to July 12th. Burke finds the drop-off location incredibly helpful.

"It’s extremely convenient," Burke said. "We don’t really have anywhere else to put it other than a pile, which is what it already is in the yard."

The city is also seeking volunteers to help collect the remaining debris from last week’s storm. Those interested can contact Hallsville City Hall to lend a hand.