Flood damage has meant Bloomington firefighters have to work out of a temporary location – The Herald-Times

More than 9 feet of murky flood water rushed into the basement of the Bloomington Fire Department headquarterson East Fourth Streetthe night of June 18 and then seeped upwardthrough air conditioning vents, leaving the buildings entire ground floor soaked.

As Fire Chief Jason Moore and other emergency workers helped stranded motorists and removed garbage bags, mulch and tree limbs from blocked storm drains, water in the fire departments headquartersruined electrical systems, communication equipment and controls for the facilitys backup generator.

My office was flooded, Moore told The Herald-Times this week.

Moore, the firefighters and staff are now working out of temporary quarters three blocks west, in a former law office on College Avenue.

More: Bloomington mayor directed city's storm flood response from Washington, D.C.

The chief saidtotal damages to the building are still being assessedbut will exceed the citys deductible, which, according to city officials, is $100,000 per location, except the transit department, where it is $500,000.

Thunderstorms dumped about 6 inches of rain on Bloomington during the night from June 18 to June 19. One Bloomington resident died and numerous buildings were damaged by the flood waters, including businesses, homes and public infrastructure.

Aftermath: Downtown businesses still recovering from Bloomington flooding last weekend

The headquarters of the Bloomington Police Department also sustained significant damage to electronic and computer equipment, the department said.

Public Works Director J.D. Boruff told the Herald-Times that water rose to about 6 inches in the police departments basement, ruining most of the furniture, gear and equipment stored there. He said the water even reached past the bottom of some filing cabinets.Officials are still determining the evidentiary value of the files and are trying to dry those that by lawhave to be retained, he said.

While Boruff said he did not yet have details about the kind of claim the city would have to file for damage to the police department, he said the claim is going to be pretty substantial.

Capt. Ryan Pedigo, the police departments public information officer, told The Herald-Times via email this week police do not yet have a damage estimate, as the contractor is still locating and removing items damaged and/or contaminated by the flood waters.

It will most likely be quite some time before BPD has an idea of the overall cost to repair and replace all that has been damaged and/or contaminated, Pedigo said.

A spokeswoman for Mayor John Hamilton said total damage to the city is still being tallied.

The citys fire headquarters flooded for at least the third time in 20 years, Moore said, though this months flood was by far the worst.

Moore, who has been chief for five years, said the department now is weighing all options, including a permanent move elsewhere downtown.

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Even before the flood damage, the department had been considering a major remodeling of the headquarters, but Moore said even if critical functions and equipment were moved out of the basement, he would still have concerns about getting trucks out of the building in another major flood.

Upgrades to equipment might mitigate some of those concerns, he said, but in preliminary discussions, the department also is weighing whether another location might offer more protections without compromising the departments ability to respond to emergencies.

Previously, city officials figured moving the departments headquarters might prove too costly, Moore said, but given the damage from the flood, the cost concerns have lessened.

Moore said the department likely will remain based at its temporary location until the damaged building has been remodeled or the department finds a new downtown location. For now, the department is keeping a fire engine at the temporary site, but only during the day, because of concerns over potentialtheft and vandalism.

After flood waters damaged the departments communication equipment, firefighters and command staff have switched to portable devices, which already played a significant role during the pandemic.

Boruff saidthough the police headquarters has flooded before, the damage generally has been so limited that city staff have been able to remove the water and make repairs. This time, however,with the drywall affected, a contractor was needed to assessand repairthe damage. The water did not rise high enough to get into the electrical system.

Boruff praised both the police and fire departments for their ability to adapt quickly and to continue to provide emergency services without interruption.

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Flood damage has meant Bloomington firefighters have to work out of a temporary location - The Herald-Times