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Hundreds Of Tornado Debris Piles Remain In Collin Co.

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COLLIN COUNTY (CBS 11) — Seven weeks after the deadly North Texas tornadoes, many in rural Collin County say recovery efforts have hit a road block.

Hundreds of piles of debris remain all across the county with many property owners saying they have no way to get rid of them.

Collin County offered storm victims free debris drop-off at the county's landfill but not curbside pick-up.

Many residents say they don't have the equipment or the financial means to have the debris removed.

Hooie Hanna's Copeville restaurant, Hooie's Café, was destroyed by the December's tornado.

In the days following the tornado, friends and neighbors helped clean up the area, stacking all the debris from the restaurant into a pile.

Nearly two months later, the pile remains.

Hanna said she drives by it every day trying to figure out how she can get rid of it.

"It reminds you what you lost," she said. "You can't start building, if you haven't removed the old away. We need the slate cleared. A lot of people out here do."

This week the federal government denied individual assistance for the Dec. 26 tornadoes because the threshold for uninsured and underinsured property owners had not been met.

Texas plans to appeal.

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