Kickapoo River flood punishes Crawford County, communities stand together
Jeff Lehman and Michelle Detman live at the intersection of Sand Hill Road and West River Road in Bell Center, where the Kickapoo River blew the minds of local residents with a record-breaking surge last week. Lehman said the river had risen to the bridge in the distance the morning of Aug. 29, but by 6 p.m., he had to take his boat to pick up Detman and bring her home. (Photos by Correne Martin)
A raging Kickapoo River made County S impassable near Bell Center Aug. 29.
The Kickapoo River came up to the bottom of the Highway 179 bridge outside of Steuben.
Highway 171 into Gays Mills was a devastating site to see Aug. 29. It’s said to have crested at 22.15 feet—even higher than the previous record in 2008 of 20.44 feet.
Emily McAlister, Trent Mallat and Dylan Mallat check out the flood waters close to Steuben.
Trent Mallat, of Eastman, stands staring at the water over the road on Highway 179, between the bridge and Kickapoo Valley Road near Steuben.
All sorts of debris was and will be found down stream after this disaster.
A calm yet curious cow checks out the saturated ground near the Plum Creek Road canoe landing.
The Plum Creek Road bridge in Wauzeka Township had river and creek waters nearing its tipping point. At the canoe landing down the road, the river came over its banks and covered the roadway pavement.
A man was rescued from his vehicle by swift water rescue team members on Highway 131 Wednesday, Aug. 29. The man had driven into flood waters. (Photo by Dennis Pelock)
Erik CaPaul, of Waunakee, brings his drone back along a flooded West Citron Road, outside of Steuben, Aug. 29, while his mom, Sue Porter, of Madison, looks. After hearing the high water reports, the two came to the area to check on a cabin they just took ownership of about three weeks ago.
The swollen Kickapoo River could be seen at its peak in the valleys below Klema Lane in Eastman Township.
Walker Hollow, between Eastman and Steuben, was covered with muddy flood waters last week. Pictured is the Beers farm.
By Correne Martin
Jeff Lehman and Michelle Detman were crossing the newly flowing river just beneath their house on Wednesday night, Aug. 29, about 6 p.m. They only moved into their rural Gays Mills home less than six months prior and had little idea something this major could happen in their own backyard.
Jeff had picked her up downtown in Bell Center township, with his flat bottom boat. Michelle worked in Bridgeport all day, and when she left home that morning, the Kickapoo River wasn’t nearly as high—barely outside its banks down the road from their home. So when the river rose higher than record levels from 2008, Michelle’s only way home would have been to travel numerous unknown, under-construction and possibly just-as-flooded roads around Crawford County. Jeff owns his own logging company and works locally, making the choice easy to go get her via boat.
That evening, when the two emerged from the boat—dirty and exhausted—they were thankful for their watercraft but more relieved to be home, safe and with their daughters, with no damage to their house.
The couple had no phone or internet, but they were out of harm’s way and felt positive the rains had stopped and the high water would recede very soon.
While talking to Jeff and Michelle, another woman, her husband and daughter walked down the hill to observe the flowing waters. She said she was born and raised in Gays Mills and had never seen the river this high in 30 years. She had spent much of a few days standing around with friends, watching the devastation, and finding it hard to manage words that could even describe it.
3 feet inside the bar
Down the county in Steuben, that same evening, the Kickapoo had risen so high it washed over the 4-5-foot sandbags at Jo’s Kountry Bar on Bridge Street. Three feet of water stood inside the hometown tavern.
“We believe it crested about 3 a.m. Thursday,” Jo’s friend, Cindy McCullick, said.
She shared that her strong friend and bar owner, Jolinda Bunders, broke down crying Wednesday evening while watching the flooding Kickapoo threaten her bar yet again. “She’s been through it before,” McCullick said, “but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
Drone is landowners’ only access other than a boat
On one road leading to Steuben—West Citron Road—Sue Porter, of Madison, and son Erik CaPaul, of Waunakee, were stuck at a closed road, from where flood waters had stopped them. They were flying a drone, in an effort to see their cabin and 11 acres of property along Citron. They had heard the news and were monitoring the cabin via smart phone, thanks to an installed camera system. They noticed one of the cameras underneath the cabin’s deck was under water, so they attempted to come to Steuben and see it in person.
Porter and CaPaul have owned their Crawford County property for only three weeks.
“The seller seemed very happy to be getting rid of it too,” CaPaul joked, making light of the situation.
Rescues from swift water
Further south, in Wauzeka, a swift water rescue team (SWRT) was staged at Wauzeka schools that same night, Aug. 29. Crawford County Emergency Management Director Jim Hackett said this was in anticipation of motorists driving through water over roadways and becoming stranded. These scenarios were especially anticipated because the Kickapoo was guaranteed to rise over Highway 60, at its intersection with Highway 131, to Steuben. The river did exactly that.
He said Grant County brought one SWRT to the area and two state teams came with their yellow “banana boats” as well to support the local leadership.
Emergency management opened North Crawford School and locations in Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove, where residents could find refuge if needed.
The swift water rescue team rescued up to 20 people, many of whom resided at an apartment complex in Soldiers Grove, and another man who tried to drive across a flooded section of Highway 131 near Steuben. Hackett noted that all but one family had a place to stay with family and friends, meaning no American Red Cross shelter was opened. The one family stayed at a shelter in Westby (which closed Sunday, Sept. 2).
All occupied county residences had power as of Thursday morning, Aug. 30, according to Hackett. Phone and internet issues will be addressed when citizens move back into their homes.
Hackett summarized the county-wide rescue efforts, estimating that 40 people were saved from vehicles and 30 people and eight pets were rescued from residences.
Ultimately, there were zero injuries, not even to animals.
“That’s a credit to our volunteer fire departments taking the lead, telling everyone what needed to be done, and our swift water rescue teams working with them to make that happen,” Hackett stated.
Additionally, the DNR stationed two airboats in Soldiers Grove. Though they didn’t use them, they were ready to take action if needed.
“This is the most prepared we’ve ever been for flooding like this,” he said. “That phone call from Vernon County was an absolute god-send. It got the ball rolling. We filled 7,000 sandbags in Steuben.”
“Volunteers are the backbone of our success,” he added.
Emergency assistance
Justin Kern, American Red Cross communications officer, agreed, noting that the organization has volunteers in the county, ready and able to assist, so the Red Cross can roll out help in a matter of hours.
“Crawford County is no stranger to this type of challenge. This is Wisconsin’s way, especially in the smaller towns like yours, where neighbors take care of each other,” Kern said.
He explained that the Red Cross was in contact with Crawford County throughout the disaster about the need for opening a shelter. As of Aug. 30, Kern said, neither a shelter nor a reception center had been necessary, though a few residents had been linked to temporary housing.
The Red Cross provided cleanup kits, which include buckets filled with sponges, gloves, bleach and other supplies. Kits remain available through the Gays Mills Village Hall and Soldiers Grove fire station.
The Crawford County Salvation Army office coordinated food, water and toiletry collections and deliveries, particularly to Gays Mills, Soldiers Grove and Steuben residents. The Salvation Army Mobile Canteen also serviced Gays Mills with food and supplies, Sept. 2 and 3, and a bus took volunteers to Gays Mills those days as well.
Both the Red Cross and Salvation Army remain in connection with partners across the county for any new and developing needs, especially with storms still in the forecast around Wisconsin.
People in need of resources are encouraged to call the Gays Mills Village Office at (608) 735-4341, or the Red Cross’ disaster hotline, (888) 700-7051, and leave a message regarding needs. Someone will return calls as soon as possible.
Red Cross resources available include disaster casework, water, clean-up kits, health services, recovery planning and more. Residents can also pick up clean up kits during business hours on regular business days from the La Crosse office (2927 Losey Blvd. South).
“We’ll revisit sites with mobile and community delivery in the days to come,” Kern said.
The Salvation Army office can also be reached by those in need. Call Jen Kapinus at 326-8321, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays, or call or text (608) 412-0505 outside of those hours. People may also contact her via the Salvation Army of Crawford County on Facebook.
Kapinus thanked the general public Sunday on the Salvation Army’s Facebook page for “an amazing weekend of donations, volunteer work, prayers, good thoughts and so much more.
“I can’t even put into words the good works happening in Crawford County. We truly live in a wonderful community.”
County Sheriff Dale McCullick echoed her thoughts: “It’s a pretty cool thing to see people banding together for something as labor intensive as filling heavy and dirty sandbags. The crazy thing is, is now it’s our second nature.”
He feels just like his neighbors, family and friends living here and enduring yet another “100-year flood,” as they say.
“It’s starting to become routine,” he said. “It’ll be months, maybe even next year before some can pick up all the pieces.”
