JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Damage to Jacksonville's infrastructure from Hurricane Matthew and recovery costs are estimated to be between $25 million and $100 million, according to Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa.
Mousa was reluctant to give a more specific damage estimate to the Jacksonville City Council on Tuesday evening, saying that figure would come in a few weeks.
Damage to JEA infrastructure alone is pegged at $30 million, Mousa said.
As of Tuesday, Mousa said, $2,066,000 in work orders had been authorized, including $550,000 for citywide debris removal, an amount that is expected to rise significantly. Those costs, along with the costs of evacuation and sheltering are among the items eligible for reimbursement under the federal government's disaster declaration.
"The mayor is committed to expediting all activities. He has been relentless. He has been very serious about getting things done quickly and getting citizens' lives in order," Mousa said.
Another $550,000 has been authorized to repair the Huguenot Park entry road that was wiped out during the storm, Mousa said. The beach is the only one in Jacksonville that people can drive on.
Mousa said it was too soon to talk about when the Jacksonville Beach Pier will be restored.
He had questions about the pier's design. He noted that there had been a tremendous storm surge, but said when 350 feet of the pier disappears, "something’s wrong.”
"The pier took a beating. And we're not sure where the end of the pier ended up, whether it's at the bottom of the ocean or floated away but we'll hire a structural engineer, in addition to hiring divers, to see what the remaining pier looks like," Mousa said.
Mayor Lenny Curry wished for the local state of emergency to remain in effect until at least Friday.
Debris removal most significant cost from Matthew
Jacksonville city leaders said the most significant costs from Hurricane Matthew will come from debris removal.
The city has already allocated $550,000 to pick up debris, which will be handled in three phases: cut and toss, debris removal and reduction, and hauling. Mousa said the first phase began at 7 a.m. Saturday after the storm.
"We have removed 633 trees that were blocking roadways," Mousa said.
The debris collection phase began Monday. Officials said they expect it will take up to 30 days to get 95 percent of the debris picked up on a first pass around Duval County. After the initial pass, crews will go around again to pick up any other debris.
Mousa said they believe there are up to 1 million cubic yards of debris on the streets, not including what's in people's backyards. That's enough debris to fill more than 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The city's goal is to have a total of 250 trucks collecting debris, which will be taken to eight temporary sites around the country.
One of the first areas designated for debris pickup is Mandarin, where huge piles of debris were lined up in almost every front yard on Tuesday. The city said it's not going to be an easy or fast cleanup to get all the branches and limbs removed.
"We are beginning in the hardest-hit areas adjacent to the river -- south Mandarin and Arlington. We will work our way from those areas to cover the whole county. They will drive on every road and pick up everything on the curb," Mousa said.
Tina Laun said when she and her family returned to their Mandarin home after the storm, every part of the driveway was filled with branches.
"We couldn't even get in our yard," Laun said.
Laun said she believes the city is doing everything in its power to get people's lives back to normal, and all it will take now is patience.
"We will wait for them to pick it up and we might burn a little bit," Laun said.
The city said it is still assessing damage and debris removal. Residents are urged to call 904-630-CITY so officials can keep track of where to send Federal Emergency Management Agency assessment crews.
Steve Woodard, chief of the Emergency Preparedness Division, said 16 individuals from FEMA will be assessing damage throughout the county beginning Wednesday morning.