Midwest flooding

[cmpentecost]

My little town of Gays Mills, Wisconsin is once again flooded.  Some of you may recall I did a "tiny" copy run in Gays Mills last Sept., as the area had been heavily flooded in August 2007.  It's a little town of about 600 residents, and while I only collected 4 damaged photos, the entire town was almost ruined.  Gays Mills was again flooded, and per the below article, it might be the end of my home town. 

I heard from Jeremiah Shimshak, our key contact person for the Winona copyrun, and he said the same areas are once again being flooded, but not as bad. 

Christine

Flash flood inundates Wis. town for 2nd time


GAYS MILLS, Wis. - For nearly a year, this tiny southwestern Wisconsin village has struggled to survive after a devastating flood. A new deluge may have sealed its fate.

Flash floods inundated the town of 625 over the weekend, just 10 months after residents worked to rebuild their homes and businesses.

The swollen Kickapoo River engulfed nearly the entire town Monday morning, forcing about 150 people to evacuate. By evening, the village was a grid of canals with cars submerged up to their windows and parking lots looking like lakes, just as it was in August.

The flooding was caused by violent, drenching weekend thunderstorms that displaced thousands of Indiana residents and were blamed for 15 deaths in the Midwest and elsewhere.

[klassylady25]

I also heard that a couple of the dams are heavily stressed a few minutes ago.  Any chance they are close to this town?  That is so sad to read.  Mother nature is the great equalizer and not a respecter of persons, that's for sure. 

[cmpentecost]

I should have mentioned that my parent's live up on the ridge, about 6 miles from town, so they are safe.  I'm hearing about a lot of dams being stressed, so I hope that they all hold.

Christine

[klassylady25]

Fingers crossed in Oklahoma!!!  And a hug for you to help with the day   :hug:

[schen]

The majority of rainfall was south of Winona.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/weather/chi080610midweststorms_gfx,0,4830550.graphic

[Hannie]

I am so sorry to hear about the floods in your home town Christine, that must be heartbreaking.
The news over here showed terrible images of homes being destroyed and reports of people that lost their life. 
I hope the dams hold and no more people will be hurt...

:hug:

Hannie

[Tess (Tassie D)]

Such sad news for the residents. :( I hope they can rebuild further away from the area.

[Mhayes]

Chris, I am so sad to hear the news about Gay Mills and all the other areas that are flooding. To have this happen within a year and the thought they may not recover is really devastating.

Margie

[JShimshak]

Starting to feel like August 2007 all over again around here.
Flooding everywhere, and this area could be getting another 1 to 4 inches on Wednesday. NOT GOOD!

Here's a photo of the Root River in Rushford, MN.
Rushford was one of the worst places in the Winona area hit by flooding last year.
I've "highlighted" the normal width of the river in RED.



I'm beginning to wonder, if once the photos we took in are restored, if any of the people will still be living around here.  :(

Jeremiah

[klassylady25]

There is no normal when the river rises.  Living in New Orleans taught you that!  Hold on and hope you have a good boat.

[Mhayes]

Jeremiah, your photo is sobering and so is your prediction about the people we helped on the copy run. Is there any flooding in the area where we were at?

Margie

[glennab]

Chris and Jeremiah, I so grieve for your communities and what they must be going through right now.  Twice in a year is unbearable! Gay Mills was mentioned on NPR this morning and it sounded dreadful.  I hope that little community can recover.  Chris, I don't want you to lose your home town!  You and all the folks dealing with the flooding are in my heart and I'll pray for the best (something good always grows from these tragedies – witness OPR!).

Have hope!  Bless.

Glenna

[mschonher]

Chris, I'm so sorry to hear about the devastation in your home town.  I hope and pray that the residents are alright even though they might loose their homes.  My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and that entire community.

Mary

[cmpentecost]

Here is a recent photo of Gays Mills and the flood waters:



Christine

[Juliet]

I'm so sorry to hear about your home town but I'm glad that your parents are safe. I wissh you and your hometown well :hug: