Flood help sought

The county will be contributing some spare hands to help with flood damage assessment work in Portland Tuesday.
Jim Bruner of Jay County Emergency Management Agency and Chris Burris, district coordinator for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, spoke with the Jay County Commissioners this morning about the damage assessment process and asked for manpower to make door-to-door visits.
“We need to get boots on the ground,” Burris said. “We go in, go door-to-door and see what kind of damage they had.”
Burris explained that the county must meet a certain threshold of homes deemed “destroyed” before the state can declare a disaster for the county and seek higher aid.
Some crews began the damage assessment process last week, but there are still more homes to visit and grade in the city. The biggest impediment to performing the city sweep is manpower, which Burris and Bruner requested from the commissioners.
Burris asked for help from “whoever’s available,” whether it be county employees who can get away from their normal duties or volunteers willing to help.
“If you can think of anyone, call to let us know,” Bruner said.
Bruner said there will be a short training session at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Jay County Sheriff’s Office. Any volunteers who want to help with damage assessment should call the Jay County EMA office at (260) 726-6908.
The commissioners later spoke with county surveyor Brad Daniels, who said he will be able to spare a couple people from his office to help with the damage assessment.
In other flood related business, county engineer Dan Watson noted that one of the biggest drainage issues in the county is trash plugging culverts and catch basins.
Watson asked that if property owners are able to clear those drains they do so, otherwise report it to the highway department so that county crews can clear away debris.
Commissioner Milo Miller Jr. also asked Daniels if he was aware of any logjams or other blockage in the Salamonie River in the Penn Township area.
Miller said he was driving along the Blackford/Jay county line in Penn Township and in the Montpelier area and noticed that there was not much standing water on the Blackford County side.
Miller said he wondered if there was a logjam somewhere in the Salamonie around that area that was damming water back into Jay County.
Daniels said he would get in touch with Blackford County’s surveyor and look into the issue.
Miller also reported on the status of the Jay County Purdue Cooperative Extension office at 126 N. Meridian. Water from the flood got into the basement as well as the ground level of the building.
Miller said that the water in the building was removed but that building still needs to be dried out. Although drywall on the first floor was affected by the floodwaters, Miller said he is adopting a wait and see attitude as to whether that drywall needs to be cut and replaced.
Commissioner Jim Zimmerman said he visited the office this morning and spoke with courthouse superintendent Roger McBride, who was going to try to find some de-humidifiers for the building.
In other business this morning, the commissioners:
•Were informed by Jay County Developer Corporation executive director Bill Bradley that one of the commissioners will need to sign off on an Economic Development Income Tax fund loan to IOM Grain.
The county is providing a five-year, $100,000 to the rural Portland agribusiness, which will allow the company to purchase new equipment.[[In-content Ad]]