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DPW takes hundreds of calls for flooding, Flood Warning issued
DPW takes hundreds of calls for flooding, Flood Warning issued
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A Flood Warning was issued Thursday, April 9th for Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties. The heavy rain that began Wednesday night and continued to fall Thursday had street crews working hard. Milwaukee Department of Public Works officials say they took hundreds of calls regarding flooding. Many of those calls had something in common -- an issue that can be fixed with your help.
Flooding was the main threat Thursday morning and afternoon as rain continued to fall throughout southeastern Wisconsin.
"Woke up this morning to a lot more water outside than I anticipated!" Mike McGraw said.
The National Weather Service said the Milwaukee River was at 7.0 feet at 11:15 a.m. Thursday. Flood stage is 7.0 feet.
Additionally, the Fox River in Waukesha, the Oak Creek in South Milwaukee and the Menomonee River in Wauwatosa were reported as being near flood stage.
The Milwaukee River in Estabrook Park was experiencing minor flooding.
The Flood Warning will remain in effect (for Ozaukee Co. only) until the Milwaukee River falls below flood stage.
MMSD's deep tunnel was at 80% as of about 1:45 p.m. Thursday -- storing 345 million gallons. It holds 432 million gallons.
CLICK HERE to monitor MMSD's deep tunnel.
Milwaukee Department of Public Works officials tell FOX6 News they received 531 phone calls as of about 12:30 p.m. Thursday related to flooding. Most of the issues occurred on the city's north and northwest side. More than 30 crews were out working to clear sewer grates.
"There`s water bubbling out of the sewers in my backyard as well as on the main street -- on Teutonia Aveue, the water`s coming out there. The water should be going out the other way, not the way it's coming out," a north side resident told FOX6 News.
A big problem on some streets was all the leaves, garbage and other junk blocking the culverts. That wasn't allowing the water to drain -- and that's what leads the water to seep into folks' basements.
"If the whole entire intersection is engulfed in water, we can actually vac the water and vac debris up to help the water recede. Also, we have two personnel crews out that have slash bars that can literally open up a catch basin within minutes," Milwaukee Sewer Service Manager Robert Brooks said.
"If it backs up in the yard, it backs up into here, so it's important to get the water away," McGraw said.
McGraw's yard saw so much water, it seemed to be too much for his sump pumps.
"I had two sump pumps but one wasn`t working so I had to go out and buy a second sump pump and just got done replacing it," McGraw said.
McGraw spent his Thursday dealing with a bit of a mess in the basement.
"We got some seepage through the basement walls into the basement," McGraw said.
Street crews were focusing on working to clear culverts and set up their own sump pumps in some of the major trouble spots.
"I appreciate all their help and their overtime. I`m sure they were working all night, so I appreciate it -- keeping our basement dry," McGraw said.
DPW officials say you can help to make sure the culverts surrounding your home are clear of debris, so all that water can drain.
The southbound exit from I-43 at County Highway H in Port Washington was closed for a time Thursday due to flooding under the overpass. Traffic was being directed off at Exit 100 -- but that has since reopened to traffic.
The Brown Deer Village Hall closed Thursday due to concerns over the weather and how flooding could impact the building. We're told water got into the basement, and the sewer system had to be shut off.
We Energies officials are reminding homeowners that if you have a flooded basement, you should always assume the water is energized. Even a small amount of water on a basement floor can put you at risk for electrocution.