Flood-soaked Dane County braces for more rain
As Dane County residents cleaned up, retrieved stalled vehicles and found alternate routes to bypass roads washed out by this week’s torrential rain, they got more bad news from meteorologists.
The National Weather Service in Sullivan is forecasting rain Thursday night into Friday morning and throughout Friday.
Lake Monona is projected to rise 3 to 6 inches by Thursday, which prompted the City of Monona on Wednesday to declare a local state of emergency. Lowlying shoreline properties throughout Monona, including Belle Isle and Pirate Island, are expected to flood.
Sand and thousands of sandbags were available at Oneida Park in Monona where volunteers were sought to help fill them.
The motorist swept away when his sports utility vehicle got stuck in a flooded culvert was identified Wednesday by the Dane County medical examiner as James A. Sewell, 70, of Madison. Sewell was driving near Chapel Hill Road when his vehicle got stuck about 9 p.m. Monday. Two passengers in Sewell’s vehicle were rescued, but Sewell was sucked into a culvert and drowned. His body was found Tuesday morning.
Gov. Scott Walker viewed storm damage by helicopter Wednesday and said he would likely do a ground tour Thursday.
“For us the No. 1 priority is safety,” Walker said at a news conference at the state emergency operations center.
State and local emergencies have been declared, but Walker said it would take some time to determine if the damage qualified for a federal emergency declaration.
“A federal declaration — that is a very high bar,” Walker said.
There have been no damage estimates, but Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said on Tuesday it was likely millions of dollars.
Rainfall totals ranged from 3 inches in the city to 11.63 inches in Middleton and an unofficial report of 15.33 inches in Cross Plains between 7 a.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday. Most of that dropped within a 12-hour period, and at the peak, rain was falling 2 to 4 inches per hour in parts of western Dane County.
Water levels are expected to increase downstream of Lake Mendota, pushing Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa as much as half a foot higher, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said. As many as 90 properties in Monona could be flooded in the next few days. “The big question is what will happen Friday when the rain comes,” Parisi said.
The county deployed 10 lake weed cutters into the Yahara River downstream to help quickly move floodwaters through the lake system.
Total rainfall Friday could range from half an inch to 1 inch.
“This (storm system) will have a little more speed to it. It’s not going to sit there and rain itself out,” said Denny VanCleve, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Sullivan.
Nearly 600 individual reports of private property damage in Dane County had been filed by Wednesday afternoon. The Dane County 911 Center reported receiving almost 1,100 calls for help in a 24-hour period starting at 5 p.m. Monday.
Towing companies continued to remove abandoned vehicles left in Madison-area intersections and roads that rapidly flooded during the afternoon commute on Monday. Water fell so fast and so quickly, many motorists were caught in the deluge.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday 48 flooded vehicles had been towed to Smart Motors, a Toyota dealership on Madison’s west side. Another dozen vehicles are expected later Wednesday, said Jim Ward, Smart Motors service director.
He expects at least 50 to 55 of the 60 vehicles coming to his dealership will be declared totaled. “In the majority of them, the water was up over the cupholders. Many have seized engines. It’s a mess,” Ward said.
By Wednesday morning Madison Gas and Electric has restored power to all customers capable of receiving it, though commercial customers on Deming Way must make repairs to their flooded businesses before power can be safely turned on. As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, 450 natural gas customers mostly in Black Earth, Cross Plains and Mazomanie were without gas because of flood damage.