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Flood Emergency: Avoca Save Email Print
Reporter: Chris Papst
Email Address: cpapst@nbc15.com

A | A | A

Poster: Friday, June 13 at 4:45

With all the recent rain, one of the hardest hit towns in southern Wisconsin was the Village of Avoca.

Three hard rains in less than a week led to a mandatory evacuation of the entire town Thursday night.

In the past week, parts of south-western Wisconsin have received more than a foot of rain.

And it proved too much for one town of 600 people.

Thursday afternoon a massive thunderstorm dumped upwards of four inches of rain on the Village of Avoca. Hours before the town had just cleaned up from their last major flooding which ended on Sunday.

"We had like five inches on Friday last week. Then another four and another three," said Avoca resident Logan Swinehart.

When the rain started again, one hundred firemen from seven stations, inmates from Prairie Du Chien and the community could not fill enough sand bags to stop the water.

Swinehart has lived in Avoca for all of his 66 years. He says despite the help there is nothing they could do when the water began to flow.

Said Swinehart, "It just come so fast that we couldn't stop it at the dike. It just went right through. Our cellar has 10 steps and it got up to the eighth step. Two more steps and it would have been in our living room."

By six o'clock a mandatory evacuation was declared. More than one hundred evacuees spread out to friends and family's houses. The Red Cross set up a shelter at a nearby High School in Muscoda. Thursday night 37 people stayed there.

"We'll be here until everyone is able to go back home or stay with friends or relatives. Until everyone is taken care of," said the Red Cross' Gerry Gilmour.

And to make matters worse when the rain stopped a house caught on fire on Second Street. Fireman battled the blaze while standing in three feet of flood water.

Added Gilmour, "This community is awesome. They opened their doors to strangers. Took people home with them. Took pets homes with them. And kept them over night."

When I spoke with Ken Palzkill, who's the director of Iowa County Emergency Management, he told me that the water is slowly receding.
But, they need many days of sunshine and no more rain to get most people back in their homes.

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Posted by: Anonymous on Jun 20, 2008 at 12:23 PM
some of the roads are still closed. most of the water is gone just lots of water still in the basements. The red cross is still there. The help they could use is people dropping of food to feed the workers and the people who have no way to make food. bottled water or gadorade is another think. Anything like paper plates and silverware. if any wanted to donate that would be some thing that would be helpful.

Posted by: MOM on Jun 20, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Avoca is coming together. The community is working well together. The water is down but many basements still full of water. I was there sun, mon, and tuesday. helping cleanup. I couldnt beleive it. but is is coming together. The people in avoca need people to help support and pray for them. My familys house has alot of damadge. Will be a long hall for them. Thanks to the red cross for feeding them and the workers. and thanks to the prisoners for there hard work.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jun 16, 2008 at 03:26 PM
All I have been hearing is how deserately Sauk County needs help, what about the small communities like Avoca, don't they deserve help too?

Posted by: Anonymous on Jun 15, 2008 at 09:47 PM
To Joe: No one knows for sure what exactly they are supposed to do. Some people have gone back home; some are still living at the middle school in Muscoda which has been set up as a Red Cross shelter. The Red Cross has been extremely helpful. The roads are still blocked going into Avoca and 133 from Avoca to Lone Rock is closed. The community needs as much help as they can get. What they really need is a united front telling them what exactly they should be doing. They've been told not to pump, but some people have been told to pump. They were supposed to have been all evacuated, but some people never left their home. There's still a lot of confusion.

Posted by: roy on Jun 15, 2008 at 09:44 PM
GOD BLESS THE PEOPLE OF Avoca

Posted by: Bob on Jun 15, 2008 at 10:38 AM
I do have some negative and positive comments concerning the flooding in Avoca. Seen first hand by myself, the residents are sticking together. However, I have heard comments that Iowa County Emergency Manager Ken Palzkill is doing a good job. In my opinion he is not. Mr. Palzkill was not in Avoca Thursday during the massive flooding. He felt it was necessary to stay in Dodgeville, the county seat. How can you run a command center 30 miles away efficiently? The Avoca Village President chose to contact the Richland County Emergency Manager, and he responded to Avoca that night and assisted in establishing a command center. He nearly had to travel the same distance. The Richland County EM went over and beyond his call of duty to help a neighboring community. I hope that channel 15 looks more into this because I believe that Iowa County EM should be accountable for not doing his job correctly.

Posted by: Joe on Jun 15, 2008 at 09:13 AM
Has anyone heard if people are able to get back into their homes yet? Have they been able to get ahead of some of the flooding? Are the roads still impassable? Is the Red Cross stil there helping? Does the community need any more help?

Posted by: Gina Wardell on Jun 13, 2008 at 05:16 PM
That was my Dad you interviewed in Avoca, WI. Logan Swinehart is his name. Thank you so much for the info i have been in touch with my family and I have been watching online for any new info or photos. It is hard living far from family and feeling helpless in terrible times like this. I'm headed home in week or two to help with cleanup. Thank You!