Russian River flood debris: Three steps to take before curbside pick-up

Sonoma County will send debris removal teams to flood-affected parts of the lower Russian River area starting Monday, and before the cleanup crews hit the roads, county officials are asking residents to take three steps with their rubbish before dusting off their hands.

First off, if you’re ridding yourself of a ruined refrigerator, remove the doors before leaving it on the curb or roadside.

Doing so could prevent a child from happening upon the fridge, climbing inside, and becoming trapped behind a relatively heavy door with ?rubber seals.

Second, separate flood waste into three piles: debris such as furniture and construction materials, household appliances and metal, and potentially hazardous waste.

Third, given the forecast of yet more rain this weekend, the county would prefer it if folks put tarps over piles to shield debris from rain and reduce potentially hazardous runoff.

County crews will indeed have Sunday off to recover from more than a week of 12-hour shifts.

Previous plans had called for debris boxes in several river towns to remain up through the weekend, but those services instead will end ?Saturday at 3 p.m.

A county spokeswoman noted that curbside pick-up operation will involve a lot of trucks and workers and asked residents to drive with caution around debris removal sites.

Sonoma County on Friday also announced that it will close an assistance center established in Guerneville to help flood-affected residents after Saturday. The center, located at the former Bank of America building, will be open from ?9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

You can reach Staff Writer Will Schmitt at 707-521-5207 or will.schmitt@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @wsreports.