Monrovia Honors 'Extraordinary' Windstorm Volunteers

The Monrovia City Council officially recognized the "extraordinary" volunteer contributions of a local contracting company and the city's Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) team for their help cleaning up the city after a .

The council presented certificates of appreciation to Pokrajac Construction owner Steve Pokrajac and his sons for volunteering equipment and labor to clean up the massive amount of debris caused by the wind.

The company's efforts helped remove about 30 trash trucks worth of debris and saved the city about $22,000 in costs, according to Chief Chris Donovan.

"You guys were awesome," Mayor Mary Ann Lutz said. "We cannot thank you enough."

The council also commended the CERT team volunteers for donating their time in the cleanup efforts. CERT members went door-to-door after the windstorm to check on the city's disabled residents, Donovan said.

"Fortunately for our community we had these men and women step up and volunteer their time," Donovan said. "They went out and knocled on the doors…and made sure that our special needs community was taken care of."

Monrovia Public Works Director Ron Bow said the city has removed more than 2,000 tons of debris from the streets and fulfilled nearly 700 of the 855 work orders his department has received.

The city has received word from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that it will be reimbursed for the cost of overtime, equipment, contractors, fuel materials and rentals, Bow said. The city has insurance to cover portions of additional costs, he said.

"It's good news," he said.