— Debris pickup will soon begin in Fayette County, with emergency service officials saying debris could clog streams — and cause more flooding if more heavy rain strikes.

Theresa White, acting director of Fayette County Emergency Services, said debris is the county’s worst problem at the moment. The county will soon begin curbside pickups of debris, but a schedule is still in the works. She encouraged anyone with debris needing picked up to call the EOC at 304-574-3285 so authorities will have the most efficient pick-up schedule.

“We need all the information we can get,” she said. “We can’t just drive through towns and look for trash. We need a plan for this pick-up.”

She noted that anyone with debris must put it on the curbside. Those doing pick-ups cannot go into yards to get it.

The debris is a mixture of both natural materials and trash, White said. She advised anyone with debris in ditches or small streams to try to clear it but only if it is safe to do so. Debris can clog streams and culverts, and that could lead to more flooding if another heavy rain strikes.

Fayette County authorities will also begin distributing cleanup kits at three locations Tuesday morning, White said. Residents in the Pax, Weirwood and Paint Creek areas should come to the Pax Community Center. People living in Glen Jean, Harvey and Red Star should go to the National Park Service property in Glen Jean, where a mobile emergency service command center is set up. Residents in the Mount Hope and Kilsyth areas should go to the Mount Hope Fire Department.

White said people picking up a cleanup kit need to provide their names and addresses and tell distributors whether or not they have called to report damage. Authorities want to make sure these kits get to the people who genuinely need it. Lime for killing floodwater bacteria on the ground will be available.

All water is back inside creek banks, except for two Glen Jean properties that have water in the yards, White said. FEMA, state and county officials did damage assessments Monday, and that will continue Tuesday. No damage numbers had been compiled Monday.

Residents have begun to return to their homes and do their own damage assessments, White said. But some homes are uninhabitable.

“We did get to see quite a few people today,” she said Monday. “Some lost pretty much all of their furnishings. Water was sometimes higher than their beds. Some people lost all of their furniture and appliances.

“They’re just going in now to see what they’ve lost. It’s a lot to take in all at once.”

Any damage reports or reports of debris blocking streams should still be called in to 304-574-3285, White said.

White noted some people have seen authorities doing drive-throughs in flood zones. She assured people that the authorities are not trying to avoid helping them. This has to be done so requests for help can be sent to the right agencies.

“We’re not just looking,” she said.