Sun, Jul 05, 2009

Tucson Region

S. Arizonans with chain saws out to clear debris

ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.14.2008
A team including 20 chain-saw operators from Southern Arizona is in Texas prepared to assist in the cleanup of damage from Hurricane Ike.
The chain-saw operators could help restore access to areas cut off by fallen trees or power poles, says a news release from Coronado National Forest spokeswoman Heidi Schewel.
The 23-member team is made up of public-lands-agency employees from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
They are staging in Decatur, Texas, northwest of Dallas, awaiting assignment after the storm passes.
The self-contained unit has its own vehicles, food and water, and it can set up camp. The group is equipped with hazardous-materials gear and works under the incident-command structure used by the Forest Service in battling forest fires.
A crew of this type was sent to help in the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina.