Within a week, nearly 10 inches of rain fell on parts of this county along the Wisconsin River in southwestern Wisconsin. The amount was less than during the last flood in August, but the damage in some areas was much worse because the ground already was saturated.

In La Farge, where water covered much of the downtown, firefighters evacuated about 50 homes. Also hard hit were the communities of Viola, Ontario, Readstown and Hillsboro.

By the time the waters receded, every measuring station on the Kickapoo River in Vernon County had broken flood-level records, some of which had stood for decades.

"The suddenness of the event — how fast it came up — that was a shock," said Jerry Crotsenberg, director of emergency management. "The fact that a lot of places hadn't recovered from last August compounded everything."

By the numbers

250+ homes damaged
7 homes completely destroyed
$5.5 million in agricultural losses
$5 million in public infrastructure losses