FEMA to view flood damage; state of emergency in 30 counties

Bill Novak  —  6/11/2008 6:04 am

Federal Emergency Management Administration officials will be in Wisconsin Thursday to begin visiting flood-ravaged counties in southern Wisconsin, with Gov. Jim Doyle expected to seek a federal disaster declaration afterward.

"We need to start getting an accurate assessment of the damage, and the resources needed, to help speed the recovery," Doyle said Tuesday.

The governor declared a state of emergency in 30 counties Monday, including Adams, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Lafayette, La Crosse, Marquette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago Counties.

FEMA crews will begin their damage assessment work in the hardest-hit counties including Sauk, Columbia, Milwaukee, Vernon and Crawford counties.

Doyle also thanked the citizens of Wisconsin.

"I thank all of the people in this state who have come together to help their neighbors and friends during this tough situation," he said.

Hundreds of roads remain closed, and several dams have failed.

The Wisconsin 33 bridge in Reedsburg is closed because of structural instability due to the record rainfall, according to the latest situation report from Wisconsin Emergency Management.

Aerial surveys were being conducted Tuesday, so damage assessment totals were still being gathered.

Dams that have failed include the Cushman Dam east of Fort Atkinson in Jefferson County, the embankment spillway of the Wyocena Dam in Columbia County and the Upper Spring Dam on Spring Lake in Jefferson County.

Water is overflowing dams on the dam south of Columbus on the Crawfish River while sandbagging is under way on the Lowell Dam on the Beaver Dam River in Dodge County.

The blowout of County A that drained Lake Delton in Sauk County took pressure off the Lake Delton Dam and the Mirror Lake Dam, but officials will have to figure out how to replace a 400- to 500-foot stretch of missing highway before the lake would be refilled.

In Vernon County in southwest Wisconsin, 113 roads are closed, and road access to the community of Viola is difficult but possible.

The state Department of Transportation estimates at least three dozen state highways have sections that are closed due to flooding.

Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection officials are working with local cooperatives and producers to ensure fertilizers and pesticide containment structures are stable and animal feed is protected from floodwater contamination.

In Sauk County, the Railroad Museum in North Freedom is flooded, the village of Plain wastewater treatment plant is flooded, and water trailers are being sent to Reedsburg to provide safe drinking water to the residents because of potential contamination of the city's municipal water system.

In Rock County, the Rock River is at or near flood stage at various locations, and the Sugar River in the town of Avon is almost three feet above flood stage.

Three state parks, Kohler-Andrae, Wildcat Mountain and Rocky Arbor, are closed, and sections of the Elroy-Sparta, La Crosse River, 400 and Military Ridge state trails are closed.

About 100 people are being housed at Red Cross emergency shelters, with open shelters in Lake Delton, Columbus, Gays Mills/Soldiers Grove, La Farge, Viroqua, Reedsburg, Richland Center, Avoca and Racine.

Red Cross distribution centers are opening in La Farge, Kendall, Ontario and Viola to distribute water and cleanup kits.

Six crews from three state correctional facilities were working in three small cities, trying to protect shorelines with sandbags in Baraboo, Montello and Columbus. The 54 inmates are from Oregon, Oakhill and Fox Lake.

"National Guard troops have also been deployed to various locations," Dipko said.

In Jefferson County, emergency management director Donna Haugom told The Capital Times that some creeks have expanded 20 times their normal width due to the flooding.

"Our three main streams, the Crawfish, Rock and Bark Rivers, all came up very quickly," Haugom said. "The Crawfish came up four feet in two days."

The emergency management office in Jefferson County has taken many calls for help from residents, and the calls keep coming in as people realize their basements are filling.

"I was getting calls at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday," Haugom said. "Some people are in dire need."

It isn't one area being affected in Jefferson County.

"We are having issues all the way from Waterloo in the northwest part of the county down to Palmyra in the southeastern part," she said. "All of our major tributaries are either at or above their record levels, and some won't crest until Saturday."

Reedsburg city officials were concerned about the municipal water supply as floodwaters threaten the Sauk County community.

"An electrical substation and the city's wastewater treatment plant are flooded, so efforts are under way to bring the water down at both sites," Dipko said.

In Baraboo, officials have advised residents of 50 homes along the Baraboo River to evacuate, and the Circus World Museum grounds along the river are also in danger of being flooded out.

In Columbus, 100 residents were rescued by boat as the Crawfish River continues to rise.

Slow, no-wake orders have been issued in Dane County for lakes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa and Kegonsa, and slow, no-wake orders have also been issued for the Wisconsin River in Columbia County from Wisconsin 33 to Lake Wisconsin.

Columbia County is asking residents in areas downstream from three dams to voluntarily evacuate.

In Pardeeville, residents along the Fox River west of the village are in danger because of the main dam in the village possibly failing; in the Wyocena area, residents along Duck Creek west of the village could be affected by a dam failure; and Portage could be damaged by houses that were swept into Lake Delton upstream into the Wisconsin River.

Residents in low-lying areas along the Wisconsin River are being asked to evacuate.

Dane County officials are asking residents and businesses who've sustained damages from the recent storms to report the damages to local municipalities, so any petition for federal assistance made by the state can be as comprehensive as possible.

"If you've sustained wind or flood damage, report it to your local unit of government," said Dane County Emergency Management spokesman J. McLellan. "You should also document the damages by taking photographs or video."

Local municipalities also have flood-fighting supplies, so individuals who need supplies can contact their local village, town or city.

The highway department is monitoring the location of road and shoulder washouts or where water is over roads.

Damage and high water on roads can be reported to the highway department at 266-4012.

Public Health Madison Dane County has information on private well testing, basement cleanup, mold concerns and beach/lake water quality. The public health number is 266-4821.

Because of high water on some county roads, motorists could encounter standing water or barricades blocking roads because of water.

Sheriff Dave Mahoney said drivers should slow down and allow for extra reaction time in case you find water covering a road or barricades blocking off the highway.

Bill Novak  —  6/11/2008 6:04 am