SIDEWALKS DAMAGE UPDATE - 7:30 PM Tuesday

The Brookings Engineering Division is currently assessing damage to sidewalks throughout town. The City is asking residents to report any sidewalk damage to Engineering by calling (605) 692-6629 or emailing [email protected]

Sidewalks damaged by public shade trees will be replaced/repaired by the City.

Damage caused by private property trees is the responsibility of the homeowner to repair/replace.

Residents, if you believe damage was caused by your private tree - please:

Reach out to the City Streets Division and they can assist with making the damaged area safe until you can repair the sidewalk.
You may request that the City add the damaged sidewalk to its sidewalk assessment project for this year. Please call (605) 692-6629 or email [email protected] for more info.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the volume of repairs already needed this year, the City’s contractor will not get to all of these repairs until later this year.
Speak with your homeowner’s insurance company to see if the damage is covered by your policy.
The City will make every effort to repair the damaged sidewalks in a timely manner but due the number of repairs needed this will take some time to perform. Your patience is appreciated while this work is being completed.

PARKS, RECREATION and FORESTRY UPDATE - 11:40 AM Monday

Brookings Parks, Recreation and Forestry administrative offices are now open.

EdgeBrook Golf Course is open for golfing.

Sexauer Park Campground is currently open for camping and reservations. 

All other parks, facilities, sports complex/facilities, and trails are currently closed and all recreation activities are canceled until further notice. The City is requiring that all members of the community keep out of parks and off of trails for their safety. Even downed trees and damage that appears to be minor has the potential to be dangerous. The City will continue to assess damage and usability of public facilities, trails and parks, however we are currently focusing on streets and other infrastructure.

City of Brookings Update - 9:40 AM Monday

City of Brookings administrative offices are open. We will be operating with our standard business hours Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. – Noon. The City has discontinued the emergency call center number which was taking reports of downed trees and damage to City and public property. We ask that you now direct your calls to City offices at 605-692-6281 Please continue to exercise caution at intersections as street lights and signs may have been damaged in the storm.

For questions regarding utilities, please contact Brookings Municipal Utilities. If you have questions about services available to you, please dial 211.

The Brookings Solid Waste division will be offering free dumping for Brookings County residents for storm damage this week Monday through Saturday, May 21st at the Brookings Regional Landfill. Free dumping will also be available for contractors (trees/branches that came from storm damage only) at the Citizens Campus for two weeks – Monday through Saturday, May 28th.

Due to the large amount of debris created by the storm we are asking residents to haul as much as possible to the Landfill if they are able to help City crews with the process.

City crews will also be canvassing the town to pick up storm debris that has been placed on boulevards/ rights-of-way. Piles in alleys, yards, driveways, etc. will not be picked up. Trees must be broken down/cut up to be removed. For real-time tracking of cleanup status please visit our Storm Cleanup Tracker at www.cityofbrookings-sd.gov/cleanuptracker

Please practice caution and give crews plenty of space as they continue cleanup of storm debris and trees. We are working diligently to complete cleanup as quickly as possible. We appreciate patience and understanding at this time.

5:50 PM Friday

City streets have been 100% cleared of tree and storm debris. Crews will resume cleanup operations and damage assessment of public areas on Monday. Please continue to follow Brookings Municipal Utilities social media and website for electricity and other utilities updates.

We realize not all individuals have access to digital updates and social media and we’re extremely grateful to our local media partners who have shared these updates through their broadcast channels today. Residents, if you are able, please reach out to other members of the community, friends, relatives and neighbors to helps us spread the word. Thank you!

4:30 PM Friday

The Brookings Regional Landfill will close at 6:00 today Friday, May 13th. The Landfill will be open from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 14th, and Sunday the 15th from Noon to 4 p.m. The Landfill will resume standard hours on Monday the 16th. Due to safety concerns, the Citizen Campus will not be open 24/7 until further notice. The Citizen Campus will open and close in line with scheduled business hours. City garbage, recycling and yard waste cart collection will continue as normal.

Brookings will be conducting a city-wide cleanup set to begin Monday. Residents should have items out by Sunday evening. Residents will be able to place debris and trees on their curb for cleanup by city workers. The cleanup will follow the same rules as the City’s Annual Spring Cleanup with one noted difference; The City will not be limiting the tree/branch diameter for disposal. Trees must be broken down so that city staff can handle and transport the pieces for disposal. 

Residents are asked to please place items parallel to the street on the boulevard and away from construction, light poles, standing trees, etc. Please do not place items in the street or in alleys. We ask that residents separate garbage and trees. Piles should not be mixed. Recycling materials and household waste should be placed in City of Brookings carts for normal pickup. As cleanup takes place, please refrain from parking in front of piles to allow crews and cleanup vehicles access to items. The City will be implementing a real-time cleanup tracker webpage allowing residents to follow status of operations block by block. The cleanup tracker web page address will be forthcoming.

2:15 PM Friday

The Brookings Call Center line which was set up to take calls regarding housing and downed trees and branches will be closing at 4:00 today (Friday, May 13). If you are in danger or experiencing a health emergency please call or text 911. If you have questions about community resources that are available to you please call the 211 Helpline by dialing 211 on your phone.

1:15 PM Friday

Brookings Parks, Recreation and Forestry has announced that all parks, facilities, sports complex/facilities, and trails are closed and all recreation activities are canceled until further notice. The City is requiring that all members of the community keep out of parks and off of trails for their safety. Even downed trees and damage that appears to be minor has the potential to be dangerous. The City will continue to assess damage and usability of public facilities, trails and parks, however we are currently focusing on streets and other infrastructure. We are currently awaiting information on the status of the upcoming Paw Patrol event scheduled at the Swiftel Center on Sunday.

10:45 AM Friday

Brookings Municipal Utilities is asking that residents please refrain from using excess water for conservation purposes – even for some time after power is restored. At this time the Brookings Fire Department has informed us that we are at a critical point where this may impact fire protection. PLEASE use water sparingly at this time. This is for the safety and protection of the City of Brookings and Brookings County.

10:00 AM Friday

Please refrain from driving on city streets if possible. Due to inoperational street lights, and many reported vehicle accident near misses, the city is asking that individuals operating motor vehicles and driving on city roadways/streets treat all primary intersections as four-way stops. Please watch for pedestrians at intersections as well.

9:45 AM Friday

All major arterials are now cleared. Crews are currently working on streets on the north end of Brookings. Some residential streets are fully blocked. Please refrain from driving on residential streets to allow for crews to clear them. Stay safe.

8:15 AM Friday

The City is asking for residents to refrain from driving in areas where trees are down and please stay away from power lines. This will keep the public and city staff safe as they continue cleanup operations. Please conserve water. This will help us with the wastewater treatment plant. There is currently no estimated time for power to be operational. The Brookings Regional Landfill is currently open for accepting trees and branches. When utilizing the landfill for branches/trees please go to the Citizen Campus which is located on the right upon entering the Landfill entrance.

Brookings City Solid Waste cart collections will currently operate as scheduled.

The City has set up a call line for residents to report downed trees on City property.  It is to be used for trees in alleys, streets or public rights-of-way in Brookings City and County. Please note that this line is not to be utilized for residential private property questions. This line is also available and should be contacted if residents are in need of housing and are displaced. Please contact the line for the above items only at this time. The call line is: 605 - 692 – 2811.

Monday the City will start a neighborhood cleanup and will be releasing more information to come. Please pile debris on City boulevards. Please follow the same rules for citywide spring cleanup which does NOT do cleanup in alleyways. Visit www.cityofbrookings-sd.gov/springcleanup for info. The city I asking that residents not put branches in their brown yard waste containers at this time.

7:45 AM Friday - City and County facilities are currently closed. We are asking that individuals please keep away from damaged areas and that they please continue to conserve water. There is currently no estimated time for power coming back on. We will give more updates as we receive more information.

The City has set up a call line for residents It is to be used for trees in alleys, streets or public rights-of-way in Brookings City and County. Please note that this line is not to be utilized for residential private property. This line is also available and should be contacted if residents are in need of housing and are displaced. The call line is: 605 - 692 – 2811.

Brookings residents. Please be extremely cautious when approaching and crossing railroad crossings on Main Street and on 22nd Avenue. Arms of the crossings may be damaged or in-operational and may not come down or operate correctly if a train passes through. Please slow down and check for an approaching train before crossing.

The Brookings Public Library will be closed Friday, May 13th.

10:00 PM Thursday – The City of Brookings has been canvassing town clearing downed trees and debris from city streets which are currently 70 percent cleared. Crews were pulled for the evening due to lightning as a safety precaution. Crews will continue to clear streets Friday morning starting at 7 a.m. Staff has asked for residents to refrain from driving on streets with downed trees to allow crews access for cleanup purposes. Brookings Municipal Utilities (BMU) is currently working to restore power. Five lines are currently down and BMU is working with WAPPA to restore the power. There is currently no estimated time that power will be back on. The City of Brookings is asking that residents please remain of off streets due to downed power lines and gas leaks which are a safety concern.  Brookings Police Department has asked that residents not call dispatch to report trees fallen on private property. They are working diligently taking calls reporting safety concerns. Please contact your insurance company to gather information necessary to report damage. City solid waste collections will be assessed Friday morning. The Brookings Public Library will be closed Friday. The Brookings Regional Landfill is closed at this time and will provide updates when it reopens. The City will be releasing another press release once damage has been assessed to provide residents with further details.