Hopkins County Courthouse was one of 216 ONCOR customers in Hopkins County that were without electrical power Saturday evening following severe thunderstorms and a tornado warning. The courthouse flooded for the first time since underground pumps and a generator were employed to keep the basement dry.
Heavy rains created the water issue. The generator not starting when electrical power was down was the second issue for the courthouse basement. According to County Judge Robert Newsom, the generator is started weekly to insure it is in working order. He called the fact that the generator did not start “…a surprise to everyone.” However, for some reason the generator did not start Saturday night. Judge Newsom stated that workers are repairing the generator to insure it will work when rains return to the area Wednesday.
Inmates from Hopkins County Jail and their supervisor, Lee Glenn, were at the Courthouse Monday morning mopping up and clearing the water in the basement. The flooding was not as bad as it had been in the past. However, some paperwork left on the floor by county workers was damaged.
The basement houses the Treasurer’s Office, the Auditor’s office, and Court Administration Office.
The new slate roof showed no signs of leakage.
