It was shaping up to be the worst nightmare scenario for the Lyon County History Center, but the waterline-related flooding that hit part of downtown Emporia nearly a week ago didn’t turn out to be as bad as first thought.
Flooding started in the 10 block of West Ninth during the evening hours of Feb. 11 and led to anywhere from four to seven inches of standing water in businesses and nonprofits all the way south to Sixth Avenue. History Center Director Greg Jordan says some items got wet, but the situation could have been much worse.
Jordan says prior planning came about before the History Center came to be almost five years ago. Before a replacement water main was installed along Commercial Street, building flooding was commonplace whenever there was heavy rain. Jordan says the initial plan addressed the water that would come in the main doors on the east side, but the plan did not address any potential for flooding from the west or alley side. That is now being resolved.
Jordan says he appreciates the work of Public Works crews to get the water turned off as quickly as they did. He also thanked nearby business owners for alerting him about the situation.
