Eastern Wisconsin community evacuated after floods breach dam

MANAWA, Wisconsin – A dam in an eastern Wisconsin community has failed, causing people living downstream to evacuate, the National Weather Service said Friday.

The dam in Manawa, along the Little Wolf River, was breached around 1:45 p.m. by floodwaters, meteorologist Scott Cultice said. The city has a population of around 1,200 inhabitants. It was not immediately clear how many people were evacuated.

Manawa Police Chief Jason Severson estimated that a 15.2 meter wide area around the dam had eroded.

The dam’s gates were finally opened to release water and ease pressure on the structure, officials said.

“It appears the dam is intact, but there is quite a bit of erosion on the north side,” Severson told reporters Friday afternoon. “We think the worst is over, so now let’s start assessing things and see where we go from here.

As erosion worsened, authorities began evacuating some homes, he said.

The rains started around 8:30 am on Friday and around 12.7 centimeters fell in a few hours. A flash flood warning has been issued for Manawa and other parts of Waupaca County

“It just wouldn’t stop raining in and around the Manawa area,” Cultice said. “They did water rescues. Most of the roads in the city center were flooded.”

“We just can’t get rid of the rain,” he added. “It’s just not moving, just stopping.”

Emergency shelters were set up at a high school and a Masonic center.

“Due to the amount of water, the dam is not safe,” said the Manawa Police Station said on his Facebook page.

All entrances to the city of Manawa, about 55 miles west of Green Bay, were also blocked, the city said in a statement. a post on your Facebook page.

“Please do not attempt to drive into or around the city,” the post said. “Vehicles are being flooded on roads around the city. Howard Street is flooded. Industrial Drive is flooded.

“Because of the amount of rain we are receiving… there will be flooding in streets and yards,” the post continued. “It’s everywhere in the city.”

The meteorological service warns that rain, and possibly thunderstorms, could occur over the weekend and into early next week.

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This story has been corrected to show that Manawa is in eastern Wisconsin, not southeastern Wisconsin.