Story originally printed in the Vernon Broadcaster or online at www.vernonbroadcaster.com
Published - Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Heavy rains flood county: Kickapoo River swallows towns
 Viola's Main Street was mainly under water on Monday. Flood waters started receding Sunday night, but not before a new record flood stage was set at 21.17 feet. (Photo by Steve Apps) |
Dale Clements of La Farge saw the rising flood waters from his house on Pearl Street in La Farge, Sunday at 10 p.m. He thought he was going to die.
"I started writing a note on the wall to my kids," Clements said. "I thought that was it. I wasn't going to make it."
But then Clements took a little flashlight he had with him and was able to signal La Farge Fire Department rescue workers passing nearby in a motorboat. They pulled Clements and his dog, "Makita," aboard to safety. Clements was thankful his 12-year-old daughter was not at his home when the flood hit.
"I was never so happy to see some people," Clements said.
Clements recounted the story on Monday and pointed to the high water mark from the historic 1978 flood that is considered the worst flood in modern history in the Kickapoo Valley. The flood waters Sunday night were at least two feet higher than the high water mark from 1978, Clements said.
Kickapoo River flood damage in Vernon County likely will exceed the $60 million damage caused by the August 2007 floods, officials said Monday.
"Largely a whole different area has been hit," Vernon County spokeswoman Linda Nederlo said Monday. "Ontario, Hillsboro, La Farge, Viola -- they weren't the hardest hit in August of 2007, but they're the hardest hit now.
"This flood is much more severe, extensive than the flood in 2007," Nederlo said. "The flood property damage is extensive."
More than 9 inches of rain fell on Vernon County over the weekend, swamping communities along the Kickapoo River and causing mudslides throughout the county, closing more than 100 roads by early Monday. No injuries had been reported due to the flooding. Shelters for displaced flood victims were set up in Ontario, Viola, La Farge and Viroqua.
"We had aerial photos from both airplanes and helicopters to look at (Monday), and we saw where, in some places, whole roads were washed away," Nederlo said. "All of our dams are holding. They have suffered damage. There is still the potential for some of them to fail."
Dry conditions on Monday and Tuesday were giving officials hope that further flooding in Vernon County could be avoided. However, Nederlo said that two storm systems predicted to pass through the county on Tuesday night and Wednesday were causing some concern.
Meanwhile, the high waters along the Kickapoo River that set record flood marks throughout Vernon County had traveled south into Crawford County. As it did, it flooded the community of Readstown and led officials to close the Hwy. 14 bridge over the Kickapoo. The bridge was reopened Tuesday afternoon.
The Kickapoo River then caused more record flooding in both Soldiers Grove and Gays Mills. This area also saw record flooding in August 2007. About 150 people were evacuated from Gays Mills, Monday night.
River crests in Gays Mills and the southern Crawford County community of Steuben weren't expected until after Thursday.
La Farge
After Clements’ life was saved by rescue workers during the flood in La Farge, Sunday night, he slept in a van. After that, his choice of accommodations was one of several shelters set up in Vernon County to house those who were displaced. In La Farge, shelters had been set up at La Farge High School, and La Farge Methodist Church.
La Farge residents Jeff and Julie Gable spent Monday trying to clean up their trucking company's office on the east side of La Farge.
They pulled Jeff Gable's beloved collectibles, model cars and memorabilia from the flood water, which was eight inches deep in their office.
"I never thought the water would get that high," Gable said. "The worst case I thought was it might come close, but I didn't think it would get this far."
The flooding Kickapoo River overcame virtually all of the buildings on the south side of La Farge. The river crossed Main Street and reached the La Farge Truck Center.
Todd Deaver, who was coordinating relief efforts in La Farge with Phil Stittleburg, said the Kickapoo River beat its old crest record in La Farge by about 10 inches. Deaver said the river crested at La Farge at 15.77 feet.
The river was receding by about one inch per hour, Deaver said.
Viola
As the river traveled south Sunday night, it crested at a new record of 21.17 feet in Viola according to the National Weather Service.
Pete Strachan, of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, said the river rose so high that it was above the bridge and was even with the bridge railings.
The grounds of the Viola Horse and Colt Show and Banker Park were flooded Monday. All that was visible was the roofs of shelters on the grounds.
A high water mark from the flood of 1978 notched on one of the shelter beams showed that this year's flood rose at least a foot higher.
The Viola Fire Department was using motor boats to travel up and down Viola's Main Street. Viola was basically cut in half.
Jim Matthes was coordinating relief efforts in Viola. He said as of Tuesday afternoon, flood waters were receding.
“We’re going from house-to-house getting the basements pumped out,” Matthes said. “There are also electricians going to homes and electrical meters are being installed. The gas meters won’t be put back for a couple days.”
Matthes said on Sunday night 25 people stayed at a shelter had been set up at the Viola Methodist Church. The church was also a place where meals were made for those without homes and for emergency workers.
“There is a story here in Viola,” Matthes said. “The fire department worked very hard to get people out of the flood with boats on Saturday night. It was quite a problem at one point.”
Matthes added, however, that by Monday night, there were no people staying overnight at the Methodist church.
Ontario
In Ontario, Monday, residents were scraping slick mud from businesses and roads after floodwaters of the Kickapoo River receded earlier in the day.
The river at Ontario crested at 21.7 feet around 5 p.m. Sunday, swamping the intersection of state Hwys. 33 and 131, backing up water into part of the downtown and submerging the village's baseball field and a playground near American Legion Post 467.
But the water rapidly receded Monday morning, dropping below flood stage by 11 a.m., leaving canoes scattered on both sides of Hwy. 131.
One of the hardest-hit businesses was Kickapoo Paddle Inn restaurant, which took on 2½ feet of water, said owner Tony Kelbel. "It tipped all my freezers over and I lost all my food," he said, as friends and neighbors helped clean up the mess.
"This is the most amazing thing here, the people," Kelbel said of the dozen or so helpers. "Small towns. It's priceless."
"We knew it was going to be really bad," said Kelbel's friend, Samantha Wagner. "He got the worst of it all. All of his land was under, everything. We're just a small community, willing to do whatever."
Ontario Fire Chief Kevin Knoll said county and township crews were working on reopening roads, and urged people not to come down, because the roads aren't in great condition.
"The water's receding quite well. Downriver they're not going to like that too much," Knoll said.
National Guard soldiers from Ft. McCoy helped Ontario firefighters about 10:30 p.m. Sunday checking on residents who refused to leave a mobile home park southwest of town.
Knoll said that on Sunday afternoon, park residents were advised to leave for a shelter in town. Much of the park is on higher ground, but the access road over Brush Creek is prone to flooding, which cuts off access.
"A few didn't want to leave. When the water got too high for us to go over and check on them, we got the National Guard to come down with their vehicles. They went over and checked. One more party left, and the others stayed in place," Knoll said.
Nan's Suds N' Such, a car wash and coin-operated laundry, got 8 to 12 inches of water inside, despite the sandbags piled outside.
Owner Nancy Brieske, and her son Dennis, said the last time they had a flood this bad was 1978, when the water was 4 feet high in the business.
Kelbel, who also owns Drifty's Complete Canoe Rental, said he hopes to reopen in two weeks.
The Kickapoo River at Ontario rose quickly as the rains fell over the weekend. It crested more than three feet above flood stage at 21.7 feet, but was dropping quickly Tuesday.
Shelters in Ontario were at the Ontario Baptist Church and Ontario Library.
Vernon County
There were 100 roads closed in Vernon County Tuesday, Nederlo said.
At the height of the disaster, Monday, 113 roads were closed.
Nederlo said some Vernon County residents, perhaps 50 separate residences, were without power late Monday afternoon. She said so far Vernon County officials have no estimates to either the public or private damage caused.
The good news was that most evacuations requested for those living below dams had been lifted as of Tuesday. However, evacuations remained in place for those living below the Runge Hollow, Duck Egg (town of Jefferson); Seas Branch, Hidden Valley, (town of Viroqua); and Jersey Valley dams (town of Christiana).
Hillsboro sustained significant flooding during the storms. Sunday night reports went out that the Hillsboro dam had failed. However, those proved false. The dam remained intact, but earthen areas near the dam had been compromised.
"The thought is that water seeped through the earthen dike, but the dam is all right," Hillsboro Mayor Alan Picha said. "We've had a number of residents who have had water in their basements and businesses with water damage.
"It's hard to believe that we could get rain like this two years in a row," Picha continued.
Hwy. 82 in Vernon County, a main highway linking Hillsboro with the central part of the county, reopened Tuesday after being closed two days.
And the flooding occurred throughout Vernon County. A trailer park in De Soto was evacuated. Hwy. 162 in the village of Chaseburg was impassible on Sunday. Coon Creek in both Coon Valley and Chaseburg flooded.
Viroqua city officials put out an order Sunday night, stopping all traffic in the city as storm sewers couldn't keep up with the falling rain. Main Street near the Vernon County Fairgrounds flooded, and the fairgrounds’ infield looked like a lake. Many Viroqua residents reported water in their basements, even on high ground.
The original storms that blew rain into Vernon County also left a lasting impression on residents south of Liberty Pole, as a small tornado formed and demolished two sheds. No injuries were reported.
Help for those affected
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency in Vernon County and 29 other Wisconsin counties due to the flooding.
Third District Congressman Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) said he was working to have President George W. Bush declare the counties in Wisconsin affected by flooding Federal Disaster Areas. This would bring in aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and likely the Small Business Administration. Nederlo said Tuesday morning she knew Kind was working on getting federal aid, "but we haven't heard anything about that yet."
Meanwhile, Vernon County officials were starting to assess private property damage on Tuesday morning. Those with private property damage were urged to call the county at (608) 637-6386 or (608) 637-6381, so assessments can be made. Nederlo said that farmers with crop and property damage should call the Farm Service Agency in Vernon County at 608-637-2183.
Vernon County Road closures can be found online at www.vernoncounty.org
State Rep. Lee Nerison (R-Westby) and State Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse) were both at the Vernon County EOC helping local officials contact state offices that could provide aid. The National Guard helped rescue trailer park residents in Ontario who were surrounded by flood water on Sunday.
In August 2007, Vernon County received from 6½ to 11 inches of rain in about 18 hours. This led to widespread flooding from Coon Valley and Chaseburg, all the way to Viola. Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove also suffered significant flooding in those storms, which caused more than $60 million in damage locally. The storms led to Vernon County being among a group of counties declared both state and federal disaster areas. That storm was considered a 100-year storm, apt only to happen once every 100 years. Two years in a row, Vernon County has withstood the 100-year storm.
(Reid Magney contributed to this story.)
All stories copyright 2006 Vernon Broadcaster and other attributed sources.