Last night the Nassau West Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning and flash flood warning for Nassau West, and they weren't kidding! Nassau West received over a half inch of rain from 7 PM until 11 PM. The Nassau West Sheriff's Department ended up being quite occupied with an emergency at the Capitol last night shortly after the City of Benson's fireworks show was canceled due to rain.

Upon return from attempting to watch the canceled fireworks show, Nassau West Sheriff Kelly Bartram noticed through the torrential downpour that the Capitol's flag pole was no longer lit. After running to his office to get the appropriate clothing for the weather, he and deputy Ryan Bartram removed the flag, and stored it indoors.

The officers then conducted a survey for damage to the Capitol grounds. They were horrified to discover that the bridge that links the Capitol to the Benson Embassy had been washed out by Copper Creek, which was running swiftly to near capacity.

The Sheriff's Department immediately closed off the path on both sides to the bridge and notified nearby residents of the status of the bridge. An inspection of the bridge proved that the foundation on the Capitol side had been structurally compromised and would need major repairs.

This weekend the Nassau West Highway Department will be disassembling the bridge, removing the remnants of the damaged foundation, and replacing the foundation with concrete block. The repairs for the bridge, including wages for workers, is expected to cost about $200.