VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Carter County Sheriff's Department is expected to move into a temporary home today after flood waters recently destroyed its former home in downtown Van Buren.
"The structure and buildings were a total loss" after Current River topped 37.2 feet on April 30, explained Sheriff Rick Stephens. "We lost our jail, dispatch center (and) records division," which were housed together in a cinder-block building near the courthouse.
Also lost was the department's patrol/administration building, which sat adjacent to the jail. The flood waters reached into the attics of both buildings before the river crested.
When the river started rising on April 29, Stephens said, he had five inmates in his jail.
"As I was watching the river, I made the command decision to execute my emergency plan and evacuate my jail to Butler County," said Stephens, who indicated the river "came up quick."
That, he said, was at about 5 p.m. April 29.
"As I was watching the water levels from behind the sheriff's office, looking toward the riverfront, I saw how quickly it was rising," Stephens said.
The department's evidence, Stephens said, was not able to be relocated due to its "mass quantity and security concerns," the sheriff said.
While keeping an eye on the river, Stephens said, he and his staff were able to retrieve about 90 percent of the department's computer equipment from the buildings, as well as about 75 percent of its radio equipment. The equipment, he said, was stored on the upper floor of the courthouse, where it would be safe from the flood waters.
Stephens said the department's dispatch center initially was transferred to the courthouse.
"Then, we went about continuing to watch and evacuate as we saw the water approaching the courthouse," Stephens said. " ... It was a very short time ... the water was coming over the walls of the courthouse."
At that point, Stephens said, staff members tried to get all records up off the floor level, trying to get them up higher in the courthouse.
"We requested, through the State Emergency Management (Agency) a mobile command center, which Sikeston (Department of Public Safety) sent over," Stephens explained. Command operations, he said, were transferred to it.
The mobile command center, Stephens said, originally was set up at the courthouse, but as the water continued rising, it was moved to the McDonald's on U.S. 60.
For the next three days, "we were conducting water rescues to make sure we got people out (from) the different areas," Stephens said. "A large portion of the county, even the water patrol couldn't get in because of the creek levels."
Stephens said he requested multiple helicopters do fly overs to check for anyone trapped on top of buildings.
Once the water began to recede many Van Bureans began to see the devastation left behind, including those at the sheriff's department.
"What we lost was very immaterial ... we lost our work; there were people who lost their houses," Stephens said. "It was very minimal (losses) in the scope of things."
The department's evidence, Stephens said, was still in the facility when the flood waters receded.
"We never imagined (the water) would get to that level," Stephens said. "Where our evidence locker is located was approximately 6 feet higher than other parts of the building.
"In 2008, there was only 6 inches of water in the building," he said. "We would have never imagined it would have got that high."
Stephens said he brought in members of the FBI and Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control to inventory, remove and check the status of all the evidence.
"The evidence was then placed in a secured facility under 24-hour police officer guard pending a destruction order," Stephens said.
Questions to Stephens regarding what any damaged evidence means to open cases were referred to Carter County Prosecuting Attorney Amanda Oesch. Calls to Oesch were not returned by press time.
The ranch-style house, which had been converted into departmental office space, was washed off its foundation and spun around.
"I believe on Monday (May 1), I got out on the boat with the water patrol and assessed the damage to county property," Stephens said. "It appeared, at that time, with the water up that high, the only thing holding the building from going down the river was the power line."
After the water receded, Stephens said, it was found the fence the city had erected also had held the house in place after it had taken out about half of the fence.
It was a combination of that fence and power line, he said, which had stopped the house from floating further away.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Stephens said, his department still is being housed in the mobile command center, which is now located at Van Buren High School.
"They have actually brought us in two emergency trailers, which will be acting as the sheriff's office and dispatch center," said Stephens, who indicated the trailers will be "stationed up at the same complex" on Highway W/101 where all the other county offices have been relocated.
Officials, he said, hope to move into those today.
"We already started putting some equipment in; we got the power and equipment," he said. "We're hoping to have the radios installed (Wednesday night)," along with internet service.
Once the radios are installed and personnel have the ability to get online, "we'll move into these buildings (today), so my staff have a little bit more normalcy."
Cellphone service, Stephens said, is back, but remains spotty.
"We had been able to transfer our 911 (calls) in our dispatch center to cellphones," but as of Wednesday calls to 911 and non-emergency calls to 573-323-4510 now will ring in dispatch, he said.
All of the county's prisoners, the sheriff said, will continue to be transferred to Butler County for housing.
The situation, Stephens said, is definitely workable.
The county has rented a building, where the majority of county offices will be located, as well as an additional trailer for the recorder of deeds, Stephens said.'
"We had court (Wednesday) morning, with a modified docket," the sheriff explained.
The rented building, he said, is large enough to provide space for a temporary courtroom.
"We're very concerned over the local residents who lost so much," as well as the "county itself and city of Van Buren, which will take a huge hit fiscally with a loss of revenue," Stephens said.
As far as the future, Stephens said, he is "anticipating" he will be "in these temporary buildings for two years."
"We've rebuilt the office a couple of times since I've been here; we'll rebuild again," Stephens said. "I've got a very good staff; I've been proud of each and every one of them through this ordeal.
" ... Their perseverance and concern for our community was impressive. I am proud to call them my team."
Stephens also has no doubt his team will "rise to the challenge. ... We're making it and will continue to make our people proud."