UNDATED (WSAU) – Governor Doyle declared states of emergency in Clark and Trempealeau counties Thursday as heavy thunderstorms dumped more than three inches of rain.
Three bridges in Clark County are underwater and another is closed. Officials there are also reporting more than $580,000 in public sector damage and the county has requested more than 10,000 sandbags from the state.
Some county highway crews ran out of “Road Closed” signs as they marked off roads that could not be used because of severe flooding or wash outs.
State Highway 66 in Wood County between Highways 34 and O is closed. Traffic is being detoured via Highways O, C and 34.
State Highway 34, north of the Highway 10-34 interchange in Portage County, re-opened to traffic by mid-afternoon. Water has receded to the edges of the shoulder of the highway in Junction City, where signs remain posted letting drivers know that conditions can quickly change.
A handful of rural roads in Lincoln and Marathon counties were closed or washed out.
As of 11:15 a.m., the Wood County sheriff’s department reported the following roads closed: Highway N from Highway HH to Highway F; Highway C from North Road to Oak Road; Highway E from Park Road to Highway X; Highway DD from Highway O to Highway 34; Highway F from Highway C to 8 Corners; Highway K from Highway N to Highway 186; 5th Avenue from Pine Road to Plum Road in Rudolph; and Oak Road closed from Butternut Road to Pine Road in Rudolph.
Shawano County got more than four inches of rain, according to its emergency management department. Roads in and around Green Valley and Bonduel are either flooded or closed, including Green Valley Road, Church Road, Landstead Road, Flat Rock Road and 2 Creeks Road.
Stevens Point had just over three-inches of rain between seven last night and five this morning. Marshfield had almost three-inches, with street flooding.
The Trempealeau River crested its banks and flooded Arcadia in western Wisconsin, leaving the downtown under one to three feet of water, according to the state emergency management office. Responders are rescuing flood victims with boats and 50 people are being sheltered at Holy Family Church. The Wisconsin National Guard also deployed crews to the scene to help.
Kickapoo Valley Cheese in Sherry, located between Marshfield and Stevens Point, is cancelling its second-shift and clean-up crews today because of flooding in the area.
