DONIPHAN, Mo. -- After feeling "pretty homeless" for a few days, members of the Doniphan Police Department again are "up and running."
The police department, like the Doniphan's fire department, was housed in the City Hall building, which was one of numerous businesses in downtown Doniphan damaged by recent flooding.
Current River rose to a record-setting height, cresting on May 1 at 33.13 feet. The previous high-water mark was set at 26.8 feet in 1904.
"When I went home on Friday (April 28), the river was supposed to crest at 29 feet," explained police Chief Mark Rodgers. "That's what the floor level was (in the building) ... We are built on the 100-year flood; we were built at 29 feet."
When Rodgers came to the office on the morning of April 30 and about every two hours, "they were increasing the level. I finally had to start getting some people together and start moving out."
The jail's inmates were transferred to the Wayne County Jail "first thing," Rodgers said. "Then, we started trying to get our electronics and files out, and luckily we got all of our files out. We got most of our electronics out."
Rodgers said Current River Ford loaned the city a 24-foot box trailer to haul items from the building.
"We had that stuffed full from one end to the other," said Rodgers, who indicated it was filled with file cabinets, "anything we could get in there."
Rodgers said city officials were lucky they were able to remove as much as they did.
"We were definitely being looked out for," he said.
As items were being removed, "we were marking the water outside the west door of our building (nearest the river), and every 15 minutes, it was coming up between 15 and 18 inches," Rodgers explained. "The last load we got out of the police department, we were almost waist deep."
Rodgers said he called the department's radio-repair provider at Sikeston, Mo., about the situation.
"They came and helped us get our radios out of the building," said Rodgers, who estimated there was almost 6 feet of water in the dispatch center.
Once the radios were out, he said, the ambulance district, which was located on the north end of town on Walnut Street, was "kind enough" to provide the police department with space for its dispatchers.
"We got our radios set up and a couple of phone lines, and then the phone company's equipment goes under water, and we're out of phone service," Rodgers explained.
After losing its communication services, Rodgers said, the Kennett Fire and Rescue Service sent its emergency management vehicle to Doniphan.
"They set up a couple of emergency satellite phones for us at the ambulance shed," said Rodgers, who indicated those with Verizon cellphones also still had service.
"We had to have some kind of phones," Rodgers said. "It was fantastic they set it up for us, monitored it for us and made sure it was functioning properly while it was here."
Calls, he said, were dispatched for both the police department, as well as Ripley County Sheriff's Department.
Rodgers said the police department called the ambulance shed home from Sunday, April 29, through Wednesday, May 3.
"We had about 5 1/2 feet of water in our building; things that you wouldn't think would float, floated and turned upside down," Rodgers.
When the water finally receded, Rodgers described the devastation as worst than when the building caught fire on May 27, 2003.
"I think it was more devastating to go in and look at the building than it was when we had the fire in 2003," said Rodgers.
Armed with water hoses and squeegees, Rodgers said, he and some of "my guys" went in to the main part of the building and got the mud off the floors.
The few offices "we did not get to do are a nasty, stinky mess," Rodgers said. " ... I can't described how much worse (the smell) is" in those offices.
Rodgers said the department lost quite of bit of its electronics.
"We lost all our desks, chairs, stuff you would have on top of a desk, staples, scissors, we lost all of that," Rodgers said.
In the booking room, Rodgers said, the live-scan fingerprint machine was lost, as well as a custom-built counter that held the Breathalyzer and fingerprints machines.
"We lost all our prisoner supplies," including mattresses, blankets, toiletries and uniforms, Rodgers said.
In addition, "we had several containers of evidence that was ready to be destroyed that got wet, and we're in the process of sorting through that and doing destroy orders with the court and prosecutor's office," Rodgers said.
Evidence for the department's most recent and pending cases (from 2015 to 2017) was saved and nothing was lost, the chief said.
After the 2003 fire, Rodgers said, the police department moved into bay 12 at the street department.
Ron Griffin and street department personnel have "cleaned it out and sanitized everything, and on Wednesday, we moved back into bay 12," Rodgers said.
Police personnel, he said, have a restroom and four computers set up.
"We're back in business; we have radios and phones," but no air conditioning, said Rodgers Friday morning. Air conditioning was supposed to be installed sometime Friday.
"Those of us who were here for the fire are still here; we were kind of glad to settle back down here" in bay 12, Rodgers said. "We didn't feel quite homeless" any longer.
Although the department is "up and running, we are jail less right now," he said.
Rodgers also doesn't know when the jail will reopen, but he estimates it will be six months to a year. The jail is one of the topics of discussions, he said.
"There are options being looked at," he said. "Obviously, the concrete cells can be sanitized and (inmates) moved back in the jail part.
"(Jailers) would be sitting on milk crates watching prisoners as nothing else will be in the building until" decisions are made.
At this time, Rodgers said, he doesn't know how long his department will be displaced.
"We're discussing options; I haven't heard anyone say they want to stay where we're at because we're now in the flood plain," Rodgers said. "The city council is discussing our options for us, city hall and the fire department."
As the discussions continue, "we are salvaging what we can," Rodgers said. "Our insurance company sent in a crew to demolish the building.
"If we decide to move back in the building, all we have to do is go back in and construct offices."
Rodgers said the city would be limited on where it could build should city officials decide to relocate permanently.