River expected to crest at more than four feet above flood stage after midnight
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
While Burlington got a respite from two rounds of downpours Wednesday afternoon, the greatest threat now is the rising waters of the White and Fox rivers, which are threatening buildings, bridges and roads in downtown Burlington.
As of noon officials in Kenosha County had reports of 7.75 inches of rainfall at the weather station in nearby New Munster. While more rain is possible Wednesday night into Thursday, the rising river poses the greatest concern for city officials, who have declared a state of emergency and are closely monitoring the situation.
A flood warning continues for the Fox River at Burlington through 3 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office at Sullivan. At 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, the river was at 14.6 feet. Flood state is 11 feet. The weather service predicts the the river will continue rising to near 15.3 feet by midnight and then begin falling.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the rising waters of the White River had breached the lower level at Veterans Terrace and forced closure of the Bridge Street bridge one block away. Rushing waters can be seen lapping at the bottom of the bridge in the video accompanying this story.
Elsewhere downtown, much of Dodge Street became impassable as the water continued to rise up and over the curbs and onto sidewalks.
Bill Smitz, general manager of Veterans Terrace said he and others had been scrambling since mid morning to install flood-resistant shutters on lower-level windows, place sandbags near doors and position pumps in an attempt to keep pace with the water entering the basement of the reception facility. The goal, he said, was to keep the water at a level that would minimize damage to the interior of the building.
Officials at the Charcoal Grill restaurant on the opposite side of Milwaukee Avenue were facing similar challenges as the river crested the concrete barrier wall and rose onto the riverwalk adjacent to the building.
The southwestern portion of Echo Park adjacent to Veterans Terrace was under a river of rising water.
Longtime Burlington resident Ron Moersfelder said it was the worst flooding he’s seen as he surveyed the scene surrounding Veterans Terrace.
City of Burlington officials said they are actively monitoring the situation from an emergency government headquarters and will continue the operations until no longer needed.
The office of Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave issued the following release to assist residents with reporting property damage due to flooding:
“IMPACT 2-1-1 is assisting the Racine County Emergency Management to document damage to residential property in Racine County that is affected by flooding.
“To file your damage report simply dial 211 or toll free at (866) 211-3380. The information that is collected will be forwarded to Racine County Emergency Management several times per day. They are using this information to determine the scope of the flooding.
“IMPACT 2-1-1 serves as a 24-hour central access point for information and referral to family, health and social services. IMPACT is a non-profit organization with 60 years of helping people get connected with appropriate resources and is the designated providers of 2-1-1 in Racine County.
“Nationally, 2-1-1 is often called upon to assist local communities that are experiencing an emergency or disaster.”
Here’s a video of the White River rushing up against the Bridge Street bridge in downtown Burlington:
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