Flood-damaged office of Montco coroner fixed

Three months after an eight-inch water main broke under the floor of the coroner's quarters in Norristown, flooding the office and contaminating equipment, repairs are complete.

The newly renovated office in the Norristown Human Services Building on DeKalb Street will reopen Friday, Montgomery County coroner Dr. Walter I. Hofman said today.

"We expect to be fully operational by Saturday morning," he said.

The coroner and his staff have been working out of a temporary office in Eagleville at the Emergency Services Building, while depending on two local funeral homes for refrigeration and Abington Health Lansdale Hospital for space to conduct autopsies.

Operations were uninterrupted, but the logistics were a nightmare, the coroner said earlier this month.

Hofman said he was called at 5 a.m. Feb. 9 to alert him that a water main break had sent thousands of gallons of water into his office. He went there to find ruined walls and floors, mold, and delicate medical equipment that was filthy.

The mess did have a bright side, however.

While workmen restored the office, they added a security entrance to the facility, removed several walls to enlarge working space, and relocated a door increasing the space for refrigeration, Hofman said.