Waukesha County declared a state of emergency on Sunday, August 10 after damage from the weekend’s storms impacted most of the area.
The emergency was declared in response to the area’s flash flooding which affected most of southeastern Wisconsin.
Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow stated that this would require the implementation of emergency procurement policy as laid out by the county board.
Currently, the declaration is slated to last until Tuesday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m.
However, residents of Waukesha County have persistent concerns that the state of emergency may have to be extended.
In the early morning of Tuesday, August 12, a series of violent storms blew through the area once more.
The new wave of storms created a second rise in the Fox River. Late in the afternoon on Monday, the river believed to have reached its crest at about 8.5 feet. Authorities believed that it would begin to recede after this point. However, around 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the river once again began to rise.
The current record for the Fox River’s highest crest was in 2008, when it rose to 8.85 feet.
As a result, the flood warning for the Fox River and its surrounded area has continuously been extended. It is now set to last until Friday, August 15.
Much of downtown Waukesha has been shut down over concerns about the river’s instability. Earlier this morning, local officials further extended the list of closed roads to include portions of St. Paul Ave., Fox River Parkway, and the Madison Bridge.
Throughout the county, there were reports of hundreds of fallen trees and power outages after the second wave of storms.
Areas of the county saw winds moving between 50 and 60 mph, with some reports even claiming that the most affected areas may have seen winds up to 70 mph.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued around the times the storms were in effect, and lasted through 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
As Waukesha County emerges from the disastrous weather, many small businesses and homes are trying to pick up the pieces.
By 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, over 3,000 homes still reported power outages. These outages have also made it difficult for individuals to clean out flooded areas or those damaged by the storms winds.
