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Southold hurricane debris cleanup starts Sept. 6

TIM KELLY PHOTO | Downed trees blocking New Suffolk Road in New Suffolk.

The Southold Highway Department’s free townwide storm debris pickup will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

As is the case with the spring cleanup, highway crews will work their way through the town picking up brush and limbs placed in front of homes. In the interim, the town transfer station in Cutchogue is accepting storm debris at no cost.

The Town Board is expected to decide today whether the program will begin in Laurel and move east or in Orient and work west. Other specifics, such as whether to limit the size of limbs for collection, also have yet to be worked out. During the annual cleanups the town will not accept limbs longer than six feet.

“It’s an expensive storm and in many cases the cleanup won’t be covered by insurance,” said Supervisor Scott Russell. “If the town has the equipment and manpower, we ought to be out there cleaning up.”

The town is asking for patience and said the collection could take a number of weeks to complete.