Kickapoo Valley faces long, winding road to flood recovery
Areas that flooded before flooded again -- and then some. Streets and parks turned into lakes. Properties raised after previous floods became islands.
In the days that followed, the roads were lined with ripped-out floors, walls, furniture, appliances and other ruined possessions. Volunteers arrived from near and far to help remove debris, clean up and provide meals and cleaning supplies.
One year later, the water is gone and the
A record flood
In recent memory, there's the flood of 1978 that helped expedite
In 2018, persistent rain the evening of
The
Recent estimates for damages to
A downstream look
A view of the flood damage to
The village of
In the flood of 2018, the popular launchpoint for kayaking and canoeing the
Six feet of water cascaded into
About three quarters of the downtown area where
Taylor counted 18 businesses affected by flooding within the village. Eight are in the flood fringe, Taylor said.
Under
If repairs cost equal or exceed 50% of the structure's assessed value, the building is considered substantially damaged, Staff said.
By law, buildings in the flood fringe that are substantially damaged cannot be rebuilt to their original condition before the flood. They must be mitigated to meet local floodplain ordinances through flood-proofing, elevation, or a property buyout, Staff said.
If
Taylor said she didn't know if some of the business would return.
wayne_haugrud
About 22 miles downstream in the village of
So much water inundated the municipal electrical building that utility director
Now every time there's a heavy rain, Haugrud said he worries about equipment damage and the village losing power. The backup generator was damaged before in the 2008 and 2017 floods, Haugrud said.
The village wants to relocate the building, a move that will cost an estimated
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The village applied for two federal grants to pay for plans that would map out the move, Haugrud said. They had initially applied for
Haugrud said he hoped they would get approval for the planning work by next year. "I hope we can have (the utility) moved in five years."
Until the village moves the utility building away from the flood fringe, Haugrud said he won't be able to relax.
'The hardest thing I've ever lived through'
The village applied for nine
Last year, Heding and her 12-year-old beagle, Molly, were rescued from their house from floodwaters rising faster than she had ever thought possible. "Molly was such a trooper and I was scared to death."
Heding returned to find two feet of floodwater in her home of 21 years. She lost everything in the garage. She's been fighting a mold and mushroom infestation ever since. The problem is so severe, she doesn't let her grandchildren visit for their safety, she said.
Between the mold, the smell and the stress, Heding said she has trouble breathing.
Heding is looking to move elsewhere while she waits for a buyout, but finding an apartment has been difficult, she said. "Rent is so high in a lot of places and I'm on disability. All my money is invested in this house."
Now she feels stuck, she said. "I hate it. I just hate it. It's the hardest thing I've ever lived through."
building_viola
The Viola Natural Foods Co-op was one of the many businesses on
If you count the green space, about 40% of the village of
In last year's flood, every building the municipality owned was flooded except the village hall, Campbell said.
Operating budgets are drying up since the village has to pay for flood recovery expenses up front and then wait for
They've been reimbursed for 2016 and 2017 flood damage repairs, but are still waiting on 2018, Campbell said.
With all the hurricanes, wildfires and floods around the country, Campbell said she's concerned that there is less federal aid to go around. "The 2008 pots of money don't exist today."
If the frequency of flooding continues to increase, there are concerns that businesses might get worn down and leave and there's limited space in the village, Campbell said. A couple of businesses downtown have already asked her about how to apply for permits to relocate elsewhere in the village.
kickapoo in
In the village of
The village was still submitting claims to
The sewer system's monitoring system cost
There's nothing more frustrating than repainting, powerwashing, repairing the electrical work only for the results to get washed away in the next flood, Mueller said. "You put so much effort into making it good, and then..."
Repeated flooding has strained the village's budget so much that they've had to cut
There are seven houses waiting for buyouts and another three outside the floodplain that have been abandoned. Mueller said.
As those residents move away, the tax base shrinks and the village water and sewer rates will have to increase, Mueller said. This would burden many of
If Mueller had it her way, she'd move everyone out of flood-prone areas so that rescue crews won't have to put themselves in danger every time it floods. "People's lives are more important than houses and where we want to build them."
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Image gallery +143
From Tribune files: Photos show damage caused by
Debris covers a bridge crossing
Floodwater from
Corn stalks lie flattened from
A street sweeper cleans the mud off of
A pile of debris lies in
Veteran's
Volunteers help load up wrecked items from the house of Roy and
Volunteers remove the basement contents of the house of Roy and
The Greeno family pool is seen pinned up against a shrub outside their home in Leon Thursday as family member Conner, 11, right, views flood damage from when the
A message of support for flood victims is displayed outside of the
A house along
The contents of a basement room of the
Debris, including riding lawn mower, lay in silt Wednesday on the banks of
Traffic once again traverses the
With many of the contents of her home now outside to dry,
Gov.
Sediment flows down the
The
Flooding in
Crews work to repair railroad tracks near
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding near
Flooding in
Flooding in
Caution tape blocks off the entrance to
Flooding earlier this week from heavy rains caused massive damage to
A kid walks through the remains of
Flooding earlier this week from heavy rains caused massive damage to
Mangled benches damaged by flood waters at
Flooding from heavy rains last summer caused massive damage to
Flooding earlier this week from heavy rains caused massive damages to
Residents walk through
Flooding earlier this week from heavy rains caused massive damage to
Still water where the
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Water flows over
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
Flooding in
The 14/61 bridge in
Flooding between
Bryce and
This BNSF rail in the town of
Contributed Photo
Coon Valley Flooding
Coon Valley Flooding
Baseball player
Muddy footprints lead out of the
A recreational vehicle lay askew Tuesday in
A flooded field behind Coon Valley Dairy Supply in
A section of washed-out pavement from
Debris, including a gazeebo from nearby
Pumpkins and other debris are seen against the guard rail on the
A gazeebo from nearby
The Bill and
A displaced and unhappy red bull roamed
The park gazebo was lodged against the
The baseball field in
Fireman's Park in
This aerial drone photo taken early Tuesday morning shows flooding of
Tucker and Becky's Pumpkin Patch at
Contributed photo
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
A bridge on
The remains of a trailer home smolder as floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
A bridge on
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
The remains of a trailer home smolder as floodwaters cover a large area
A trailer home smolders (foreground) while floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
Floodwaters cover a large area
A tree is uprooted in front of a house in
The wall of an attached garage in
Contributed photo
The wall of an attached garage in
Contributed photo
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