(WSBT) People from all over the area are helping Nappanee clean up.

Thousands of volunteers have helped pick up debris, but where will it go?

The city says is working to have it removed as quickly as possible.

The town of Nappanee started cleanup work right after the twister touched down.

It’s working with state and county highway workers along with crews from Beer and Slabaugh, Inc. to make it happen.

“We did not want to drag this out for months and months, so we tried to energize all those people who said they would help us,” said Nappanee Mayor Larry Thompson.

Debris from around the area is being trucked to the city highway department lot.

There, it’s being ground up by a huge industrial grinder provided by Beer and Slabaugh.

"That grinder basically will shred everything down into very, very small pieces,” explained Wayne Scheumann of the Street and Utility Department. “And that is put on a pile and then taken to the landfill.”

“So far we're staying right on top of it,” Mayor Thompson said. “We are trying not to accumulate large areas of waste that we have to spend months getting rid of."

The mayor says the community is not in a position to wait to remove all of the debris from around the area. It has to be done now, he says, and in a most efficient manner possible.

"Our goal, if you can see the site where we are hauling all the trash and debris, is to grind it and haul it out almost immediately,” Mayor Thompson said. “And those people — it’s a miracle — they are accomplishing that goal every day.”

City leaders say they expect the hauling and grinding of debris to last a couple of weeks.