Northeast Iowa reeling from 'life-threatening' flooding
Updated: Aug. 25, 8:22 a.m. | Posted: Aug. 24, 8:59 a.m.
Northeast Iowa residents are cleaning up and assessing damage following torrential downpours Tuesday night. At least one person was killed in the flash flooding, according to reports.
The region experienced "major flooding" after more than 8 inches of rain fell as a series of thunderstorms moved through the area, said Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx.
Basements in hundreds of homes in the county were flooded, Marx said.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for four counties after the overnight rains, saying that "widespread and life-threatening flooding" was occurring.
Before you keep reading ...
MPR News is made by Members. Gifts from individuals fuel the programs that you and your neighbors rely on. Donate today to power news, analysis, and community conversations for all.
More than a dozen homes on the eastern edge of Decorah in the community of Freeport were surrounded by water. Mudslides and water over roads was also reported in Richland and Crawford counties in Wisconsin," the weather service said.
Some basement walls collapsed and many roads were washed out in the area.
Marx says other hard hit areas in the county included the communities of Spillville, Fort Atkinson and Bluffton.
River gauges along the Upper Iowa River recorded rises of more than 10 feet in a very short time early Wednesday, according to MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner.
In the tiny community of Freeport near Decorah, homeowner Ron Teslow was busy pumping water out of his flooded basement on Wednesday. He says the nearby Upper Iowa River overflowed, flooding more than a dozen homes.
Teslow said a friend alerted him early Wednesday morning to what was happening.
"I woke up this morning when my neighbor called me and said 'You out of bed yet?' and I said no and he said, 'Well you better get up, because the water was up to his deck," Teslow recalled.
Teslow says he ended up with more than 3 feet of water in his basement.
Nearby, more than two feet of water surrounded John Aske's home. He says part of a basement wall collapsed in the flood.
"About 4:15, 4:30 (Wednesday morning) we just heard a crash and the basement foundation crashed in," Aske said.
He says not sure if he'll be able to repair the house.
An emergency shelter was open in Decorah at the Stone Ridge Community Church just off Highway 9 for people flooded out of their homes.
Officials are warning motorists not to drive on roads that have standing water. Flood warnings are in effect until Thursday in most of northeast Iowa.