Where to go with all that storm debris? Pewaukee Recycling Center is staying open late

PEWAUKEE/WAUWATOSA (WITI) -- Strong storms that pushed through on Monday evening and Monday night, June 30th pulled down trees across the FOX6 viewing area. Tuesday, many began the process of cleaning up -- and that meant clearing away debris left over by all of the downed trees.

Normally, Pewaukee's Recycling Center is closed on Tuesdays, but on Tuesday, July 1st, it was open late to accommodate those cleaning up from the storms.

When a large tree limb plunges into your bedroom...

"I think at first you`re just a little numb. You don`t really know what to do," Jim Loffer said.

Loffer and his wife had the unfortunate experience of watching one of their trees become a ceiling decoration on Monday night.

"All of a sudden, this massive wind came through and we could see out the window. The trees were just bending at an obscene angle," Loffer said.

Luckily, Loffer and his wife were on a lower level, watching television when the limb smashed into their roof and scattered debris throughout their bedroom.

There were scenes like this all over southeastern Wisconsin Tuesday -- as folks got the cleanup started.

"It`s been crazy. A lot of broken limbs -- a lot of big trees -- just damage down every block," Scott Brince with Hoppe Tree Service said.

The crew from Hoppe Tree Service helped to clean up at the Loffer's house, and it was one of several stops for the crew on Tuesday.

"Probably a busy, busy week and it`ll be a long day today," Brince said.

In nearby Pewaukee, officials were anticipating a rush of residents with debris to discard. That's why they extended their Recycling Center's hours.

"A lot of tree damage, a lot of branches, you name it -- so at least they could take it somewhere," Pewaukee City Administrator Tammy Laborde said.

For Loffer, cleaning up tree debris was just step one.

"Once we take the tree out of that hole, we`ve got to have a way to cover that back up. It`s kind of like taking the cork off the bottle," Loffer said.

Pewaukee's Recycling Center is normally closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays -- but this week, they're open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Pewaukee's Recycling Center is located at W240 N3065 Pewaukee Road in Pewaukee.