Straight line winds and heavy rain deal a blow to Stevens Point Tuesday night. Mayor Andrew Halverson has declared a state of emergency because he says streets were flooded, residents had lost power and nearly every other yard had trees down. “Nearly every other yard has tree damage,” said Halverson. Emergency management teams had begun doing damage assessments. But Halverson said the city’s water system is safe. “There are no concerns whatsoever in terms of safety.” Because residents were without power, the city had opened cooling centers at the senior high school and a junior high school. “There is not a lot of structural damage,” said the mayor. “It is primarily a power line situation, a power availability situation, and a tree damage situation.”
In Marshfield, wastewater Superintendent Ron Dickrell said systems handled 3.7 inches of rain in about one hour. “We actually recorded about 35 million gallons,” said Dickrell. Exactly one year ago Tuesday, central Wisconsin was hit by heavy rains and flash flooding.
AUDIO: Mayor Andrew Halverson (:40)
Matt Lehman, WSAU