BROOKINGS – The daylong rain Wednesday forced the Brookings Liquor Store to close and Larson Manufacturing Company to send workers home and prompted people to enquire about sandbags, according to officials.
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BROOKINGS – The daylong rain Wednesday forced the Brookings Liquor Store to close and Larson Manufacturing Company to send workers home and prompted people to enquire about sandbags, according to officials.
The City of Brookings issued a notice just after noon that the city’s liquor store was closed due to flooding and the city would issue another notice when the store was open again. No other details were given.
The Brookings County Courthouse is also fighting the weather, according to Stacey Steffensen, Brookings County Commission Department director.
“Yes – the roof at the courthouse is leaking. We believe this is due to snow/ice on the roof blocking the drains. There’s really nothing we can do to fix it until this rain event has ended and the snow melts,” she said.
Larson Manufacturing Company in Brookings sent employees home Wednesday after they discovered a leak, said June Eng, director of marketing.
“We have a small section of the building that connects to the main building and the seam between the two buildings has been compromised, creating a leak. Obviously the accumulation of water and snow load caused the crack. We sent people home as a precaution so we can do a complete evaluation. We will continue to evaluate today and tomorrow to ensure the safety of our teams,” Eng said in an email.
Robert Hill, County Development Department Director and Emergency Manager, said in an email that his office had been fielding questions about sandbags. His office is still recommending that people contact local stores or call 211.
Hill offered some advice for the long haul.
“My advice is that this is just the beginning of flooding season. The snow is being reduced by the rain but there is still plenty left to melt,” Hill said.
“We are monitoring the situation and if the situation warrants it, my office will request that the Brookings County Commission pass a resolution declaring an emergency,” he said.
“It is way too early to start thinking of reimbursement from government programs such as FEMA. Typically those type of resolutions come after widespread flooding that damages public infrastructure,” he added.
Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.
