One month after a tornado ravaged parts of Fultondale, recovery efforts are well under way.

“We’re getting a handle on it now,” said Fultondale city inspector Darryl Aldrich. “We can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Aldrich said Friday that about 45 houses and 10 businesses in Fultondale have been condemned due to extensive storm damage. He said there will likely be others in the Glendale neighborhood.

The city contracted earlier this month with Hemphill Construction Company to serve as a project manager to organize and oversee the cleanup efforts. Fultondale contracted with DRC Group to do the actual cleanup.

The Fultondale City Council on May 2 voted to take measures that would clear the way for the companies to be reimbursed by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The plan is to do three major sweeps through the city in order to pick up debris.

Malcolm Cockerham, project manager for Hemphill, said the first sweep was conducted successfully over 11 days, and workers started the second phase on Saturday.

Aldrich said 53,000 cubic yards of debris had been picked up as of Thursday. It is being taken to a reduction center in Tarrant, where it is fed through chippers.

One of the most pressing, ongoing projects is an attempt to get information out to homeowners about signing right-of-entry (ROE) forms.

“If people have storm-related damage to property, we have a right-of-entry form they have to sign,” said Cockerham. “Otherwise, we can’t go on their property.”

Fultondale Mayor Jim Lowery said city employees and Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) workers are going door-to-door in hard-hit areas in order to get the forms signed.

“In order for us to go through FEMA and the state EMA, we have to have certain forms signed by residents,” Lowery said. “You have to do certain things to give the government permission to go onto your property. If we can get that from the landowners, we can proceed to clean up private property.”

Cockerham is asking residents to move all storm debris to the city right-of-way so crews can remove it during the second and third sweep of the city.

Individuals are being asked to sign the ROE forms so workers can enter their property to remove material, such as tree stumps, that they can not relocate to the public right-of-way.

For more information about the right-of-entry forms or other issues regarding storm cleanup, call Fultondale City Hall at 841-4481 or Hemphill Construction in Fultondale at 841-6544.

Residents who have not signed the ROE form can fill one out at Fultondale City Hall at 1210 Walker Chapel Rd. or at the Hemphill Construction office at 1351 Decatur Hwy., Suite 13.

Cockerham said the Hemphill office is open seven days a week, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., until further notice. He said personnel at the office can answer questions about the ROE forms.