Storm debris cleanup in the Brazos Valley: what to do first

If you've lived in Bryan or College Station a while, you've cleaned up after at least one bad one. FEMA records show Brazos, Burleson, Grimes and Robertson counties were all part of the February 2021 winter storm declaration and the July 2024 Hurricane Beryl declaration. Brazos, Grimes and Burleson were also in the May 2016 flooding declaration.

This year, Grimes County was added to a federal declaration for the storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding of July and early August 2026. One thing people often get wrong: Brazos County was not part of the Hurricane Harvey declaration in 2017. Grimes and Burleson were.

When Beryl's leftovers rolled through in July 2024, WTAW reported a 59 mph peak gust near College Station and almost 6,000 BTU customers losing power at some point. Wind like that drops limbs on roofs, fences and cars all over town at once. That's why the curb piles show up on every street the next morning.

Walk the property before you touch anything. Look up as well as down. A limb hung in a tree can drop while you're working under it.

Stay well away from any downed or sagging power line, and from limbs touching one. Treat every line as live. Call your electric utility, or emergency services if someone is in danger, and let the utility clear it. Don't run a chainsaw anywhere near a line, and don't try to pull a limb off one.

A tree leaning on the house, or a big trunk under tension, is a job for a tree crew. Cut wood under tension can spring back hard. For the rest, wear gloves, boots and eye protection, and take breaks. Storm cleanup in Texas heat wears people out fast.

If you might file an insurance claim, document first and clean second. Take wide shots that show the whole yard or roof line, then close-ups of the damage. Get the fence, the car, the gutters and anything inside that got wet.

Keep receipts for anything you buy for the cleanup, like tarps or a rented saw. Before you throw out damaged furniture, flooring or appliances, ask your insurer what they need to see. Some want photos only. Some want the item kept until an adjuster looks.

If ME3 Junk Solutions hauls the debris, ask for before and after photos or disposal documentation. Eddie and Matthew provide that when it's appropriate or requested.

After a storm, city crews are buried. Piles that break the rules get skipped. In Bryan, brush and bulky items go in two separate piles. They need to be at the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day (6 a.m. June through August), and no more than 48 hours early. Piles must sit at least five feet from buildings, fences, hydrants, parked cars and meters, and never under branches or overhead wires.

Bryan wants brush cut into sections no longer than eight feet, and it caps brush and bulky at 22 cubic yards per home per week. Past that, it costs extra or you haul it to Twin Oaks yourself.

College Station also wants brush and bulky items in separate piles, at the curb by 8 a.m. Its own pages differ on how long brush pieces can be (the FAQ says five feet, the printed guide says eight), so check with the city before you stack. Service can also pause after a big event. During the February 2021 freeze, Bryan, College Station and Navasota suspended trash pickup, and Bryan and College Station brought brush and bulky service back later that month.

Not all storm debris is brush. In February 2021, pipes burst even at fire stations in Bryan and College Station. A burst pipe or a flooded garage leaves wet drywall, carpet, pad, boxes and ruined furniture.

That kind of mess doesn't fit the brush rules. Bryan's curbside service won't take leftover construction and demolition materials, and its trash cart can't hold construction debris, furniture or appliances. Plan on a separate route for torn-out drywall and flooring. Our post on where renovation debris can go covers the options.

Sometimes the city route is the right answer. If the limbs fit the rules and you can wait, use it. When the pile is too big, mixed with fencing, or blocking a driveway you need, a hauler makes sense.

ME3 Junk Solutions handles yard and storm debris removal: tree limbs, brush, leaves, broken fencing and outdoor junk. Text photos of the damage for a range and the next open window. Larger or heavier jobs get a walkthrough first, and you get one firm price before anything is loaded. See how pricing works, or if you're in town, the page on yard debris removal in College Station.