Banning DMV Office Still Closed Due to 'Extensive' Flooding

One month after heavy rains flooded the state Department of Motor Vehicles office on Ramsey Street in Banning, it remained closed Monday.

Signs outside directed anyone needing DMV services to Palm Springs, Hemet or Redlands.

Esteban Herrera, 45, was disappointed to find the Banning DMV office closed.

"I live in San Bernardino and there's always a lot of people at the DMV over there," he said Monday afternoon. "I came here to avoid the line. I need a registration sticker for my pickup."

Herrera said he would not go to Palm Springs or Hemet.

"I'm going back to San Bernardino, maybe Redlands," Herrera said.

The office was locked up Monday afternoon and there did not appear to be anyone inside. A woman who answered a knock on the back door said repairs were finished and the office may open in two weeks.

"The damage was pretty extensive," Steven Haskins, a spokesman for DMV in Sacramento, said in a phone interview Monday. "There was mold and there will need to be inspections."

The storm on Jan. 30 caused water damage to the roof, ceiling tiles, an employee restroom, a break room, customer work stations and both sides of the main entrance, Haskins said. The DMV closed the office on Jan. 31.

"We won't rush to open until it's completely certified and safe," Haskins said.

In early February, Haskins estimated the office would be closed four to six weeks. He said Monday the office may open in about two weeks.