Summer Storms Pummel Wisconsin

As storms rolled through the Midwest this early June weekend, many of us were running for cover.

Tornado warnings, flash flood warnings, and severe thunderstorm warnings were broadcast and changed every hour; sometimes faster. Black and gray clouds covered the sky and gave dire predictions of what was in store.

In Central Wisconsin, many of us were camping. Those of us in tents opted to pack up and head for home or the nearest place we could take cover. Our family was in Green Lake, WI attending a Christian conference.

Some of our friends decided to remain at the conference and ride out the storm. They were in sturdy campers or hotels which would provide more protection than our lightweight tent. We remained in communication since the center they were at did not have easy access to weather forecasts.

As we drove toward our home, our friends took shelter in the basement of the conference center. We were able to stay ahead of the storms and arrived home in time to get inside before the worst of the rain and wind began in our area.

Tornados touched down around the state, straight line winds played havoc with those still on the road, knocking out power and downing trees and limbs across the state. Thunder and lightning were common, rarely letting up. At most there was a thirty minute reprieve before the next round of storms hit.

Northern Wisconsin was able to escape much of the damage, while southern Wisconsin had wave after wave of storm continually slamming the state. Fire departments pumped water out of basements. Manhole covers were dislodged by the flooding. Cars were flooded, even while parked. As we drove to brunch on Sunday, we encountered high water on various parts of the highway and a construction vehicle that was parked in a field where construction was going on had water up to the bottom of the doors.

The majority of the damage is not from wind or lightning, but rather from deluge of water that poured on the state. Even those not near rivers or lakes are still dealing with water and flooding. Our front yard has several feet of water in it. A state of emergency has been declared in thirty of Wisconsin's seventy-two counties. Families have been evacuated from their homes and schools are closed because they are flooded or transportation is just too dangerous. Homes have been literally washed away from the amount of rain and rising water. Many people have flooding in their basements, not from the water seeping in, but from sewer back up.

As I took my normal three mile walk around our community this morning, I saw our lake has exceeded its banks, streets that don't normally flood had water flowing across them, and parts of the street have caved in. This is one small town that does not normally have flooding issues. This morning I learned that it was a good thing we left our campsite, because it had standing water and we surely would have been flooded out of our tent and campsite.

With the water still rising and more rain in the forecast, Wisconsin will not recover from this series of storms for quite some time.