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WINDSOR – Bertie County local government has entered into a contract for the removal of construction and demolition debris in the wake of last month’s deadly tornado.

Southern Disaster Recovery is scheduled to begin work Wednesday, Sept. 2. They will be responsible for picking up debris that was caused by the complete or partial demolition/construction of a residence impacted by the storm.

The removal of these items will be concentrated along Woodard Road and Morning Road, among the hardest hit areas by the EF-3 tornado that touched down in the early morning hours of Aug. 4 as part of Hurricane Isaias.

Demolition/construction debris includes building materials, drywall, lumber, carpet, furniture and plumbing.

Other types of debris can include electronics, appliances, and household garbage.

County officials said that the North Carolina Department of Transportation will soon begin county-wide removal of trees and other vegetative debris. A date for that to begin is forthcoming and will be announced ASAP. That type of debris – tree logs/branches, leaves, plants – needs to be placed as close to the road as possible without blocking the lane of travel or drainage ditches.

Governor Roy Cooper has signed a state disaster declaration for counties that suffered damages from the tornado on August 4, making additional assistance available to residents there.

The Governor’s order authorizes state-funded individual assistance grants for affected residents from Bertie County and the contiguous counties of Chowan, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Northampton and Washington. This comes in addition to the low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) that became available last week when it granted the Governor’s request for an SBA disaster declaration.

A disaster recovery center is open at the Bertie County Council of Aging, located at 103 School Street in Windsor, where storm victims from the aforementioned counties can apply for SBA Disaster Loans and state assistance. Those needing assistance should call 252-794-6144 in advance to make an appointment so that social distancing can be maintained inside the recovery center.

The Recovery Center hours are 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on weekdays through Thursday, Sept. 3.

Residents may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ or via telephone at 202-803-3307 or 470-363-5936.

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans are also available to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available to businesses regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.