Wisconsin dam breaks taking homes with it
Pastor Dale Morgan
Wisconsin dam breaks taking homes with it*
Reuters | Tuesday, 10 June 2008
WASHED AWAY: A home near Lake Delton in Wisconsin collapses as flood
waters breach the bank. Three houses were washed away.
A dam near the Wisconsin Dells resort area broke, sweeping away some
homes, as torrential rains caused more flooding across parts of the US
Midwest, authorities said.
No deaths or injuries were reported, though residents living beside a
few rain-swollen rivers in central Wisconsin were urged to evacuate, the
Columbia County Sheriff's office said.
The failure of the Delton Dam on Lake Delton caused mudslides that swept
away a few homes. The water rushed to form a new tributary to the
Wisconsin River, which eventually empties into the Mississippi River.
Police issued a warning about debris swept into rivers from collapsed
buildings and roads.
Other dams in the Wisconsin Dells region, which is famous for its scenic
lakes and resorts, were also threatened by a series of drenching storms
in recent weeks, authorities said.
Governor Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency in 30 counties in the
southern half of Wisconsin. Similar declarations have been made in
recent days in Iowa and Indiana, with flooding also affecting parts of
Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
Nearly one-third of Iowa's 99 counties were experiencing flooding,
according to Governor Chet Culver.
Flood damage estimated in the tens of millions of dollars were being
added to recent storm damage in Iowa, including a tornado that flattened
the town of Parkersburg two weeks ago.
The water treatment plant Mason City, Iowa, was swamped this weekend by
the Winnebago River, three of four bridges in the town of Charles City
were swept away by flooding of the Cedar River, and the town of New
Hartford was evacuated.
Many corn and soybean acres were under water in Midwestern states,
hurting farmers' prospects after a wet spring that had already delayed
planting in many places.
National Guard troops were called out in Indiana, where flooding forced
hundreds of people to evacuate homes across the central and western
parts of the state.