The Phantom Regiment offices were a part of the casualties of the storm that hit Rockford on Labor Day. The storm caused flooding throughout the city and knocked power out to at least 5,000 homes and businesses. Fortunately no one was at the offices at the time of the flooding. The Regiment offices are located on the basement floor of the Burpee Center at Rockford College. The 4-5 inches of water brought by the storm caused the drainage system to fail. Water entered the main entrance of the Burpee Center and seeped through the foundation and into the basement through the ceiling. The ceiling tiles gave way to the weight of the water as they fell to the floor allowing more water into the basement.
Rockford College security notified Regiment management at 5pm on Monday night. “The damage could have been much worse, but was still very disheartening”, says Rick Valenzuela Executive Director. Valenzuela along with his wife Lori and Dan Farrell, Program Coordinator and Board Member, spent 5 hours cleaning up the damage. According to Valenzuela, the main damage was done to the corps’ souvenir merchandise which is one of their main fundraising opportunities. Damage estimates have yet to be determined as the College was without power on Tuesday leaving the Regiment offices in complete darkness. The college hopes to have power restored by Wednesday.
For more information about the storm see the story link below.
