Storm Damage Estimates

Crawford County assessing storm, flood damages

By Ted Pennekamp

A state of emergency was declared for Crawford County on Friday, July 21, by Crawford County Board Chairman Tom Cornford and the village presidents of Soldiers Grove, Gays Mills and Steuben in the wake of the severe thunderstorm of July 19, followed by the flooding of the Kickapoo River. 

Crawford County Emergency Management Director Jim Hackett said that the county is now undergoing the long process of assessing damages to public infrastructure such as buildings, roads, bridges and parks. Damage assessments for private property and businesses are also coming in.

The preliminary total damage cost estimate for public infrastructure for Crawford County is $353,476 as of July 27. Highway Commissioner Dennis Pelock said the total damage to the county’s roads and bridges so far is $52,000 ($34,000 for county roads and $18,000 for state roads). The damage to roads was due to heavy rains and the flood of the Kickapoo River. Pelock said Bridge Street in Steuben was especially hit hard.

“The water from the Kickapoo lifted the asphalt right up,” he said. “The damage estimate is $22,000.” Pelock said the Highway Department will pay $12,000 for clearing downed trees in Bridgeport Township and $5,600 for trees downed in Wauzeka. Bridgeport Township and the village of Wauzeka will reimburse the county, Pelock said.

According to Pelock, all of the county’s bridges held, but there was minor damage to some approaches. Most of the road damage was done in the northeast corner of the county where approximately 7 to 8 inches of rain fell.

“We’re glad it wasn’t worse than it is,” Pelock noted, adding that the state highway inspector and his crew have been in the county since last Thursday inspecting all state roads. The state inspector also inspected the Highway 18 bridge between Prairie du Chien and Marquette, Iowa, and the bridge passed inspection. The county road and bridge inspector is inspecting all of the county roadways and bridges. 

The assessments for all of the counties affected by the storm will be sent to Governor Walker. The figures will then be sent to the president and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a possible federal declaration of a state of emergency and FEMA funding to help pay for the damages in each county.

Hackett said that the higher the dollar amount for damages in all affected counties combined, the better the chances are for FEMA funding. FEMA funding can be declared for public infrastructure or private property or both.

“We have no destroyed homes in Crawford County,” said Hackett, and that so far there are 50 homes that have been declared to be affected, two that have sustained minor damage, and two that suffered major damage. The major damage sustained by two of the homes was due to the Kickapoo River flood. The others were damaged by high wind. Hackett stressed that all damage figures are preliminary and subject to change. 

So far, nine businesses in the county have been declared as affected and one business has been destroyed. The destroyed business is the storage building owned by Cleary Building/CT Investments in the town of Bridgeport. The storage building was destroyed by high wind. According to Hackett, nine businesses were affected by the Kickapoo River flood.

The counties in Iowa affected by the tornado/storm do not count toward damage assessments in the affected area of Wisconsin.

“In the eyes of the federal government, they become two separate storms once it crosses the river as far as damage amounts are concerned,” said Hackett.

The high damage totals in Grant, Lafayette and La Crosse counties, which were hit heavily by the storm, should help Crawford and other counties with the possibility of obtaining FEMA funding.

“We had extensive damage throughout the county,” said Grant County Deputy Emergency Management Director Tonya White. “Cassville, Glen Haven and Potosi were very heavily damaged.” White said that the damage estimate for public infrastructure in Grant County was $1.98 million, but that figure will increase because several municipalities have not reported yet.

Governor Walker has declared a state of emergency in 20 counties. The counties are Crawford, Grant, Vernon, Buffalo, Dane, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Juneau, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Monroe, Pepin, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Trempealeau, and Walworth.

The total damage estimate for the counties of Crawford, Buffalo, Grant, Iowa, Jackson, La Crosse, Lafayette, Monroe, Pepin, Richland, Trempealeau, Vernon, and UW-La Crosse is more than $14 million, according to a report from the Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center and according to figures provided by Hackett and White.

La Crosse County reported $4.5 million in damages so far. Lafayette County reported $1.225 million. Monroe county has reported $4.9 million.

Grant County Emergency Management Director Steve Braun said that so far, five homes in the county have been declared as destroyed, 20 sustained minor damage, 12 had major damage, and about 500 have been affected. These figures are preliminary and will probably go up, he said. 

Braun said that numerous Grant County businesses were also impacted by the storm. One business had major damage and 20 sustained minor damage. Braun also said that debris clean-up is a major factor in damage cost estimates.

Hackett said that while the county is still assessing damage estimates, Crawford County departments, village and city departments and emergency personnel and citizens throughout the county are continuing to provide services or help with clean-up.

“Sheriff Dale McCullick has been a very good liaison with the citizens and with helping out with damage assessments,” said Hackett.

There were two incidents during the Kickapoo River flood in Crawford County, in which drivers drove around road closed signs and barricades and attempted to drive through water. Fire department personnel from Soldiers Grove and Gays Mills got the drivers out of their stuck vehicles. A flood warning remains in effect for the Kickapoo River.