Germantown flooding: Riversbend Circle residents evacuate Tuesday

Germantown flooding: Riversbend Circle residents evacuate

Flooding in Germantown, paired with power outages, prompted evacuations Tuesday.

GERMANTOWN, Wis. - Flooding in Germantown, paired with power outages, prompted evacuations in the village's Riversbend Circle subdivision on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

What they're saying:

The subdivision is located just north of County Line Road between the Menomonee River and I-41. Fire Chief John Delain said there are 47 houses, which are all multifamily or duplexes, in the subdivision. 

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The fire department began preparing to evacuate residents around 8 a.m. Delain said water in some areas was 2–3 feet deep, "high enough that most cars can't get through it."

"This is the most serious flood I've seen in Germantown," the fire chief added. "I'm a lifelong resident. I can't recall anything even close to this."

Germantown flooding briefing

Village officials provided an update on flooding in Germantown on Tuesday morning, Aug. 12.

Delain said personnel evacuated some residents while others were able to self-evacuate. Four residents wished to stay. Village administrator Steve Kreklow said residents will be taken to Germantown High School.

Germantown flooding

"Anytime you have floodwaters, the dangers are immense. You could be swept away in those waters. You could become trapped in your house," Delain said. "I would absolutely say this is a life-threatening situation. However, this is their private property, and we can't make them leave."

Germantown flooding

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One resident was rescued from the area on Monday. Delain also said there was one fatality and one injury on Monday, possibly related to carbon monoxide from a generator.

Germantown issued a state of emergency due to flooding on Sunday. Kreklow said the level of flooding that arose Tuesday was isolated to the Riversbend Circle area. 

Resident weighs in

What they're saying:

Denise Scherrer lives in the Riversbend Circle subdivision of Germantown. 

"I've talked to people that have been here for 30 years and said they have never seen this before," Scherrer said. "When our road started to flood we were a little nervous but we thought it would just go down, but it's just coming up and up and up."

Germantown flooding

Scherrer said as she was evacuating, she gathered her pills and some clothes – nothing else. 

"Terrible. I lost my husband a couple of years ago and this has been nothing but anxiety and a lot more than I need right now," Scherrer said.