NEWPORT, Tenn. (WVLT) - Nearly two months after historic flooding ripped through Newport, City Hall reopened and will be back serving the public soon.

After clearing out the mud, water and even animals, staff are officially moving back into the building.

"Well, our goal is to have everything back in working order by Thanksgiving," city administrator J.D. Finchum said. "Our goal from the start has been to be back in operation before the first of December, so we're on track, and we've stayed on track throughout this whole event."

City Hall operations were being conducted out of a gym since September. Officials wanted the reopening to prove to their city that they can make it through this.

"We had this event, it's awful, it's tragic, it's a disaster, but like the phoenix we're going to rise, and City Hall getting open can set an example to everybody that we're coming back," he said. "City Hall is open and things are getting back to normal."

With City Hall nearly ready, the city shifted its focus to the Newport Police Department. The station was also severely damaged to a point where they don't know if it can be salvaged or will need to be rebuilt.

"They're kind of in the same boat with the annex that we are with the police department," Finchum said. "They're getting conflicting evaluations on the status of if it be rehabbed or is it going to be too expensive to rehab."

City officials told WVLT News that regardless of what happens, they planned to relocate the the department out of downtown to a new building.