• News tips, submissions
• Questions, comments
• Contact webmaster

• Heavy rains batter Pierce County

By: Mike Longaecker

PLUM CITY - At 1 p.m. Friday, Kevin Anderson was still bailing rainwater out of his car.

The vehicle's broken window slid down late Thursday as torrential rains dropped up to 9 inches on the Plum City area.

"I've never seen it rain so hard in my life," said the Plum City man, who lives in a mobile home park that was temporarily evacuated amid fears that floodwaters would breach a nearby embankment.

Thursday's storm battered the soggy area for the second time in a week. Plum City received more than 5 inches of rain on Aug. 7, said Al Thoner, patrol superintendent for the Pierce County Highway Department.

"Things were still pretty soaked up" when heavy rains began falling Thursday, triggering flash floods across the southern part of Pierce County, he said.

Evidence of a raging torrent remained Friday on the outskirts of Plum City, where a 15-foot section of blacktop had collapsed after the shoulder of County Highway S gave way.

"We'll have some extensive work to do next week," Thoner said.

He said highway crews were out clearing roadways until 3 a.m.

"It was coming down so hard you couldn't hardly see for a while," Thoner said.

Maiden Rock saw more than 5 inches during the storm, according to the National Weather Service. Mudslides were reported along County Road A just north of Maiden Rock.

Ellsworth received about 3.5 inches of rain, the NWS reported. Red Wing received about 2 inches, Public Works employees reported.

Further south, Pepin received more than 7 inches of rain within two hours, according to reports near an experimental farm.

Thoner said cleanup and repairs should leave Pierce County with at least a $50,000 price tag.