Tornado hit Dodge County; significant damage, power outages

DODGE COUNTY, Wis. - Editor's note: The National Weather Service has since confirmed four tornadoes touched down in Dodge County on Thursday. The original report can be watched above or read below.

Severe storms swept across Wisconsin on Thursday, May 15, causing significant damage. A tornado tore through Dodge County, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. 

Storm damage

What we know:

The We Energies outage map reported more than 14,000 customers without power as of 6 a.m. on Friday. 

The cities of Juneau and Mayville, around 60 miles northeast of Milwaukee, received some of the worst damage as tornado-warned storms moved through around 6 p.m. The National Weather Service was on site Friday morning to assess the damage.

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The Dodge County Sheriff's Office said many streets and highways are closed due to power lines and trees being down. 

What they're saying:

"We are stressing to everybody, to please avoid the City of Mayville and the City of Juneau if you don't live there," the Dodge County Sheriff's Office said. "We are trying to get things cleaned up."

The sheriff's office tells FOX6 News some people lost their homes. Crews rushed one person to the hospital after their roof caved in. At this point, only minor injuries have been reported to emergency personnel.

Waldvogel's Farm in Juneau reported severe damage due to high winds. They posted the pictures below on their Facebook page. 

Displaced residents

What you can do:

City of Juneau residents who have been displaced from their homes are encouraged to report to Dodgeland Schools 401, S. Western Ave, Juneau, WI.

City of Mayville residents who have been displaced from their homes are encouraged to report to the Tag Center, 1700 Breckenridge St, Mayville.

Red Cross responds

What we know:

The American Red Cross of Wisconsin has opened a shelter at Mayville Junior/Senior High School (500 N. Clark St.) to support those affected by the severe weather. 

What they're saying:

"While no individuals stayed overnight, the shelter remains open today, offering food, water, emotional support, and a place to charge phones. All are welcome—Red Cross shelters are open to anyone in need."

"Additionally, the Red Cross Northeast Chapter is deploying an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) to the Mayville area to distribute essential cleanup supplies to families working to recover. Where it is safe to do so, Red Cross volunteers will help to assess the residential damage in affected communities and distribute meals, snacks and water, along with relief items such as blankets, tarps, water, snacks, mops, sponges, gloves, cleaning solution, trash bags and more. Assessing the damage will help us to better understand what help families may need in the coming days and weeks. We are grateful to our volunteers and first responders who make these efforts possible."

If you or someone you know has been impacted, please call 1-800-RED CROSS for immediate help.

Share a photo

What you can do:

Severe storms hit southeast Wisconsin on Thursday, causing damage in some areas. FOX6 News invites viewers to share photos of the damage. Those images are shared online and often used on-air. 

We invite you to share photos from your community below – but be safe doing so. Have photos of hail? You can share those here.

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