By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-905176.mp3
Dallas, TX – Dallas County officials believe they'll have the lights on and the computers booted up sooner than expected at the flooded Records Building downtown. KERA's BJ Austin says a water main break poured six feet of water into the building's basement and knocked the county's computer system offline.
Ryan Miller, a folder of papers in his hand, got the bad news from a guy in a hard hat. The Records Building is closed.
Miller: I'm trying to get my registration for my motorcycle, my moped. It's out of registration, but I can't. They closed the whole thing.
County officials taped a list of nine satellite offices where vehicle registration can be done to the Records Building doors. Miller checked for the closest location.
Commissioner John Wiley Price says the County dropped the ball by not having what's called a fail over site - an offsite location to serve as a backup during emergencies. Price says a plan to do that will be forthcoming. Meanwhile:
Price: We believe in the next 48 hours, after tomorrow, we think by Thursday morning, people will be conducting business.
Price says a generator will provide power to the building, and then they'll boot up the computers. He says they're banking on 95% firing up after the water swamped the electrical system that powers the county's computer system.
Until then, Sheriff Lupe Valdez says her deputies and jailers are making do.
Valdez: We're doing a lot of stuff the old fashioned way. Instead of putting in computers, we're using radio and telephone to get the things we need. It takes a little longer.
And the Sheriff says there is NO jail visitation until the emergency is over. But the courts are operating, and people with jury duty this week should report. Collin County has agreed to issue marriage licenses while the Dallas County computers are down.
Dallas Water Utilities says the break dumped an estimated 400 thousand gallons into the building's basement. The Department's Randy Peyton says they're still evaluating the cause. Shifting ground due to the 10th driest May on record is a possibility.
Commissioner Price says the clean up and generator-power for the building and computers will be expensive upwards of 70 thousand dollars, and that does not account for any employee overtime, plus lost productivity and county revenue.