Cape Coral canal clearing due to begin Monday

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — The City of Cape Coral is continuing its efforts to clean out and haul away debris from Hurricane Ian.

Monday morning, crews will begin clearing debris from the city’s nearly 400 miles of canals after receiving state approval to do so.

And there is a plan in place for how they will go about the cleanup process.

According to the city, they will first clear debris that is accessible by land — such as downed trees and items on the shoreline that can be accessed easily.

The next step will then be to remove debris from the water using barges.

Harry Miller has been clearing debris from his home since the hurricane happened.

“Our barbecue wound up in the canal. This pole that you see we pulled out and that other pole we pulled out,” said Miller.

The canal behind his home saw some damage, but he said it’s looking a lot better thanks to his neighbors.

“I think a lot of the work is being done by the people themselves, most people are pretty responsible here,” he said.

Although some canals are in better shape, others are in need of help, filled with trash and debris.

So far, the city says they’ve picked up enough debris to cover 161 football fields.