One year after major flooding, Coon Valley grapples with what comes next
It rained as much as 6 to 10 inches the evening of
When
At
Homes and businesses outside the 100-year floodplain that hadn't flooded before were deluged. Firefighters worked in the dark, driving front end loaders that teetered as they plowed through several feet of water to pluck stranded residents from house decks and second-story windows. The water was so deep on one street that there was enough clearance for a rescue boat to drive over a submerged
Evacuated residents dropped off at the village hall had to seek higher ground at the fire station, then the elementary school, as the waters advanced.
Last year's flood felt like something out of an apocalyptic movie, Williamson said. "I'll never forget it. I never want to experience that again."
One year later, the village is still grappling with what comes next.
Looking back, looking forward
Rebuilding your life after a major flood is a highly individual decision. But a common refrain even a year later among flood survivors is a sincere gratitude and respect for the firefighters, emergency rescue teams and volunteers that helped during and after the flood.
"I can't say enough good things about our
They returned later that morning to a waterlogged house with a crumbling foundation and everything in their garage washed away, Wolff said. "It's hard to see everything you own pretty much gone."
The August floods were declared a major disaster and
The Wolffs' house qualified for about
In the end, they didn't cash the check, Wolff said. "We decided that we weren't going to put the money back in the house because it could flood again. And it did."
They moved to another house in the village far enough from
Mary and
When it came time to clean out the mud, so many people showed up to lend a hand, it was like they came out of nowhere, Mary said. "We made a lot of friends that way."
And the flood gave them the chance to remodel their house, Mary said. "We rebuilt because it was our home."
Mary said she viewed the extreme amounts of rain, the breached dams and the flash flood through
'Can't go through this every year'
Lately, a lot of people have been asking
People bring up their frustrations over the
Since the big flood last August,
"The village can't go through this every year," Henrichsen said. "The people want answers, and we don't have answers."
In fact, people seem more annoyed by the most recent flood than the big one last August, said
You could write the
In July, 5 to 8 inches of rain caused
It washed away the park picnic tables the village had just replaced for Trout Fest, Niedfeldt said. Most of
The village is trying to find a new location for the ballpark away from the main road so it won't have to keep sinking money into flood repairs, Niedfeldt said.
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There will continue to be shelters at
Coon Valley Flood Recovery Continues
A tractor trailer traverses the
Henrichsen said people have also been bringing him their concerns about the breached dams, which are maintained by the county.
In the almost 41 years they have lived on
That night, the Nelsons, who live just outside the floodplain, had so much water in their basement that the sump pump couldn't keep up, Robert said. Water crept up the stairs until it was one step from entering the first floor of their home.
Firefighters evacuated Romaine through the first-floor window, Robert said. By the time it was his turn, the water had risen fast enough that he had to be picked up from their front deck. They still can't thank the emergency responders enough, Robert said.
The Nelsons lost everything in their basement, which they now keep empty except for the water heater, Robert said.
Things feel like they're getting back to normal, "but the rain makes us unsettled," Romaine said.
Now they pay extra attention to the weather report and may look into flood insurance, Robert said.
Mostly, he wants someone to do something about the dams, and fast, Robert said. "I'm going to be 80. I can't wait until I'm 90."
Building for the future
Fourteen dams were built in the
But dams are only as good as the size of the flood they're designed for. The evening of
Three dams in the watershed breached at approximately
According to the 1958 Coon Creek Watershed Work Plan, the dams were designed for up to 5.2 inches of rain in six hours, a 1 in 50 annual chance occurrence. They were meant to limit peak flood flows for about a quarter of the drainage area above
Korn dam
On a recent visit to the breached Korn dam northeast of
When the redirected, concentrated flow hit the shale and sandstone hill, the hillside melted away, Micheel said.
What's left is a cut about 30 to 40 feet wide between the dam and the hill that resembles a small canyon littered with soil, shale and sandstone rubble from the hill.
Between the three dams that breached, about 70,000 cubic yards of fill washed downstream in a few hours, Micheel said. The county is in the process of repairing dams with minor to moderate damages.
As for the three dams that failed, the three counties within the
With this study, they can decide whether to rebuild the dams, and to what degree for the future, Micheel said.
Korn dam
Throughout the country, 10-year storms, which have a 1 in 10 chance of happening in any given year, are occurring about 40% more often than in the 1950s, said
It's very clear that climate change is increasing the number of storms we're seeing, Wright said. "If we continue to ignore these problems, the cost of ignoring these problems is going to increase as the planet continues to warm."
Given the new normal, it might not be possible to design a dam big enough to solve all our problems, Micheel said. "We need to do a better job regulating where we put houses and roads in the valley floors and moving people out of flood's way. We have to build for the future because nature will test you. Nobody's exempt from these events."
Micheel picked up a piece of rock rubble. "This is just a reminder."
------
Image gallery +143
From Tribune files: 2018 flooding in the
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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