Hurrican IVAN clean-up For Hire Rate $/hr

[ShantyBranch]

Some of my family hit pretty hard by Ivan last week, in Gulf Breeze, FL. Everyone is good, but they had 5 to 6 feet of water rush through their house. BIG MESS.
Towed the JD4500 down to aid them in the clean-up. After we got their yard fixed up. Had several neighbors desperate to get their driveways and yards clean-up. Parts of this area resemble a war zone. I mean debris everywhere. And the smell !!
So I have been trying to help out. Most of the bridges are not opened right now and just not a lot of subcontractors in this area yet.
I have a few days to burn and look forward to the tractor time.
But these people can pay for the work or their insurance companies will, so what the heck. I could stand to get this tractor paid off anyway.
I was wondering if somebody could help me in give a fair price for this work. Bascially just scooping debris up with bucket and hauling to street and dumping in piles for pickup by city.
Any ideas for resonable operator/equipment hourly rate???
Thanks for any advice. I willtry and post some pics tomorrow/

Todd

 

[KennyV]

I don’t know .. It may be different for hurricanes… can’t see how it would be… But we have had some bad tornadoes over the past decade or more. (Kansas)… If it was not for the volintears many could not have recovered.
If you have the time I am sure you will find many Many people that do not have the luxury of insurance paying the bill… those are the ones I’d seek out, after all It is a mess for all… even those that can’t afford it. Just a thought… If you have the time and a little diesel... KennyV
/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[BB_TX]

I guess I woud have to say let your conscience be your guide. Yes, a lot of people are well positioned to pay for your services, or have insurance to do it. There are many others who have no insurance, little money, and have lost a lot. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
As far as rates, I have heard rates quoted in the $40-$50 range for basic tractor work. That may or may not be appropriate in your area.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

If the people who need help are old and alone, I'd do it for free. If they are young(er) and able, but rich and lazy, I'd do it for double. If they are simply in need of a hired hand and are working along side trying to get their lives back toghether, I'd do it for the prevailing rate. But that is just me.

 

[dmccarty]

Todd,

Years ago when Floyd hit eastern NC I went down east to help out with the cleanup. Here is what I had to say about Floyd. TBN Append

Its not the whole story of what I saw and did but it gets to the subject at hand. Yes some people can afford to pay people but many can't. And even those who you think might be able to afford it are devistated. The last house we cleaned out already had a crew working when we arrived. We took over and did it for free. This was working by hand to move all of the stuff in the house outside. Disgusting labor. The husband had hired a couple of migrants to help do the work but he took them back to town while we did the work. I did not begrudge this act. He had NOTHING. His house was totaled. His cars where totaled. The goods he and his wife had accumulated over a lifetime had be destroyed. They where only alive because a neighbor had a boat. They said as the water rose around the house, the cars would short out and the lights would come on. The only lights they had where flashlights and the car lights shining from underwater.

She was recovering from breast cancer. They where both working in this house with its moldy contents. We at least had the N95 masks which ain't the best but it is better then nothing. If I did this again I would take my really good canister mask. But both of these elderly people where working in that house without protection. This house was flooded by a a creek that is downstream from a town. The town, and I saw it when it was underwater, had lost its sewage plant. When the flood was still going on the house in discussion could not be reached because of the flood waters. The stench was aweful. The sewage was just being pumped into the water and it flooded their house. Plenty of evidence around the house if you get my drift..... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

We cleaned out the house for them, left them will a bunch of N95 masks and went home. It took days to get the stench out of my lungs as well as the mold. But at least I had a house to go to at the end of the day.

If these houses are primary houses do it for free. If they are second homes then maybe get them to pay. NC has major military bases and the thing that really ticked me off is that there was no Federal or State cleanup help. Sure the National Guard came in and set up kitchens as did the Red Cross. I ate out of them and I'm grateful they where there. I ate out of churches that provided relief for the people hit by the storm. But the grunt work of the cleanup was done by volunteers. If the Marines, Army and Air Force had sent out a couple of companies a week they could really have cleaned up the mess and helped these people out. But that did not happen.

These people need all of the help they can get and they will get danged little of it as it is....

Later,
Dan McCarty

 

[meledward23]

I have to agree with the general concensus of help the "poor" and bill the wealthy. The problem is how do you know the difference. I work with people that could buy my place a few times over yet, can't pay their bills on time becuase they are to **** cheap.

In the end I would probably shoot for about $ 15.00 an hr plus or minus a little. That should help cover some gas and wear and tear. After that I would consider making a buck wehre appropriate.

 

[BillyP]

Isn't FEMA paying for all the clean up?

 

[SPIKER]

I would try for prevailing rates, what that is?? I have no clue. around here general tractor work with an operator runs 45~80/hr depening on what is being done, FEL work is harder and requires more skill and less gets done as such a rate is on the higher side. be carefull charging too much as you CAN get introuble as it has been declaired a disastor area, which means gouge someone and YOU could get some extra FREE TIME on you're hands and lots of room mates to SHARE the time and toilet with /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

anyhow I kind of agree, if you are there have the time and the people CAN afford it then by all means clear up a few $ and run for the hils.

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="blue"> Isn't FEMA paying for all the clean up? </font>

Billy, I don't know who is paying what, but I do know that one of the ladies who works with me has a sister who lived in an apartment in the Ft Meyers area. The first hurricane that came through destroyed the building, and all of her possessions were destroyed when the building collapsed. She and her daughter were in a shelter. When the hurricane was over and they left the shelter, the ONLY things they owned were what they had on their backs and what they carried by hand into the shelter. They did not have renters insurance, and literally lost everything.

 

[BillyP]

Bob, I know when we had the GREAT ice storm a few years back, FEMA paid the bill for clean up. There were contractors and sub contractors everywhere. I think the total bill, for this county, was a little over 12 million.

I know a lot of people from here leaving out, pulling their brush trailers, headed for the Ivan cleanup. I heard FEMA is paying $5 per cubic yard.