miss. drainage structure collapse
DESCRIPTION
Mayor Percy Bland's plan to deal with a giant drainage structure collapse that opened in the parking lot at a Meridian, Miss. IHOP restaurant.TRANSCRIPT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Richie McAlister, Assistant to the Mayor 601-‐604-‐8954, [email protected] www.meridianms.org
Mayor Declares Emergency to Assess Drainage Structure Collapse
MERIDIAN, Miss. – After a Sunday night meeting to determine how to deal with a giant drainage structure collapse that opened in the parking lot at Meridian’s new IHOP restaurant, Mayor Percy Bland has embarked on a two-‐part action plan. First, the mayor has declared a state of emergency. This allows the city to remove the 14 or more vehicles that fell into the sinkhole and to bring in outside engineering experts to work with city employees to determine the cause of the pavement collapse. City crews already have been working to restore water service to nearby businesses. Second, Mayor Bland has committed to using every resource at his disposal to help the restaurant reopen as soon as possible. His administration has prioritized economic development, and the IHOP’s construction is a positive example of such development. The mayor said he fully understands the restaurant’s importance not only to its owners but also to its approximately 100 employees, its suppliers and other companies that do business with it, and, ultimately, its customers. Mayor Bland said, “Despite the weather conditions, we are moving as fast as we can to access the situation and determine the cause of the drainage structure collapse. Our biggest concern right now is the safety of our citizens.” The collapse occurred at approximately 7:15 p.m. Saturday at the IHOP, 200 North Frontage Road. The brand-‐new restaurant, the only Meridian location of the international chain, had been open only a few days. A number of customers were dining inside at the time of the collapse. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Mayor Bland and other officials, attorneys and engineers from the city met Sunday night with IHOP owners to determine the next steps in dealing with the collapse. All agreed on the urgency of getting the business operating again. The ditch created as a result of the site collapse, 30 feet wide and 360 feet long, follows the path of an underground culvert that channeled water to Sowashee Creek. The mayor’s emergency order clears the way for the city to remove the vehicles – 10 cars, three SUVs and a pickup truck are visible – and assess the collapse. However, Mayor Bland said he would use his authority, including emergency powers, to do everything he could to ensure the public’s safety and to work with the owners of the restaurant to get it up and running at the earliest possible date. For more information about the City of Meridian, visit www.meridianms.org. ###