Saturday, September 7, 2024
Emily Conroy
The city of Manawa organized a community discussion July 15 to allow residents to ask questions about the flash flooding and subsequent damage from July 5.
Andrew Carlin, the Waupaca County emergency manager, said that 10 inches of rain fell between the dates of June 26 and July 6.
Carlin said the bulk of rain fell in about 45 minutes on Jan. 5, and with that much rain it would have been difficult for streets or storm sewers to keep up.
Nick Weed, an employee for the Department of Public Works and the fire department, said the sewer back-up in basements was also a result of so much water pouring into the system at once.
“There was so much water coming in that flooded our sewer plant. We couldn’t pump out faster than what was coming in, so the main pit in the sewer plant was overflowing. So it was causing a backup from the sewer plant out,” Weed said.
An impromptu speaker, Mark Craig, who had previously held the roles of Fire Chief in Manawa for 10 years and has also worked at the city, explained what was happening with the dam July 5.
Craig first dispelled the rumor about a missing key from the dam operator, which made them unable to get into the dam itself to open the gates.
“I don’t know where all this came from, where there was a key missing or somebody waiting for a key, but that heavy rescue is going to open any door you can think of,” Craig said. “When I got [to the dam] they were harnessing up firemen with life vests and harnesses, tying ropes to them and getting them ready to go out there.”
The gates to the dam were opened manually by the Manawa Fire Department, Craig said it takes about 15 minutes to open one gate.
Craig said as soon as they opened the first gate and started work on the second, the first gate started to get clogged, and the second gate started clogging as soon as it was opened as well, something that can still be seen.
They are called needle gates, Craig said, which are boards with tapered tops and difficult to take out. He said you have to push them ahead to slide them off to the side otherwise they can rip right out of your hand.
“Where this rumor comes from, that you’re waiting for a key, or you’re waiting for someone to open it, or you think there is a magic button to open these gates, it doesn’t happen,” Craig said.
Craig said that when he arrived to the dam the water was barely coming over the top. However, in the 10 minutes it took to get fire personnel ready it was rushing over the top at a much faster speed.
Craig also noted that this was a five box alarm, which is generally unheard of, with fire departments coming in from all over the surrounding communities and counties. Some departments were not able to get within the city limits to start assisting the emergency.
“We had cars floating in water, we’re getting people out of cars that were crying and didn’t know what to do. All dealing with this at once, and we’ve got a dam that’s going to break and we got firemen that can’t help us,” Craig said. “What we got here is what we got here, and what we did is what we did.”
Another concern that arose during the meeting was property value regarding homes that are on the Manawa Mill Pond. One audience member inquired about property taxes being adjusted.
Manawa Mayor Mike Frazier said home values do not change and that the land values will only go down slightly, which was information he had received from the city assessor.
Frazier said the city does not have any answers currently as to the future of the dam, being that the dam is part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Mary Eck, a city council member, said the city has not been asked for input as to the future of the dam, as the city has only just begun really assessing damages and working with the DNR and those within the FERC program.
Manawa Police Chief Jason Severson put together a timeline of events.
6:48 a.m.: Dam operator did daily checks. Forecast was for 1.25 inches of rain, so dam gates were open to the appropriate level.
7:08 a.m.: Rain began falling.
9:48 a.m.: Water begins to flow north past storm sewer grate at Bridge and Union streets.
9:49 a.m.: Water begins to flow down the driveway into Lindsay Park.
9:56 a.m.: Water is nearing the center line of Bridge Street and the storm sewer is half covered with flowing water.
10 a.m.: The storm sewer is mostly unable to take in anymore water.
10:19 a.m.: Entrance from Bridge Street into Lindsay Park appears flooded. Water flowing into the park.
10:20 a.m.: Most of the green space in Lindsay Park from the upper restrooms to the baseball diamond is flooded with a current flowing.
10:25 a.m.: The green space is flooded between the pavilion and the tennis court.
10:26 a.m.: Report of a stranded motorist on the north end of Bridge Street, water rescue needed. Fire engine and MRAP needed, as passenger vehicles cannot pass.
10:26 a.m.: Wastewater treatment plant floods, but maintains contents.
10:29 a.m.: Dam operator received a notification the water level was high.
10:40 a.m.: Officers notice East Howard and Industrial streets have high standing water.
10:45 a.m.: Rain begins to slow.
10:50 a.m.: Bridge and Union Street camera shows water beginning to recede. Deputy arrives at the Fire Department to set up incident command.
10:52 a.m.: Waupaca County Highway Department requested to barricade high water areas.
10:55 a.m.: Waupaca County Emergency Management arrives to the command post.
10:57 a.m.: Department of Public Work’s Nick Weed arrived at the high school to open the building as a shelter. Emergency vehicle is seen on the high school camera on-scene at the nursing home.
11 a.m.: Rain mostly stopped and water receded back to the parking lane on Bridge and Union Streets. Dam operator arrived and saw water was going over the dam and embankment.
11:01 a.m.: The first mutual aid fire department arrives.
11:04 a.m.: Manawa Police Department phones Jacob Elsner of Kobussen bus.
11:05 a.m.: First call for evacuation of residents from the trailer park on Walnut Street.
11:15 a.m.: Dam operator meets fire chief at incident command and briefs him.
11:20 a.m.: Second bus called for nursing home.
11:22 a.m.: Minimal water on the road and draining into storm sewer on Bridge and Union streets.
11:27 a.m.: Bogs seen flowing from the north to the south on the Mill Pond.
11:30 a.m.: Water begins receding in the green space between pavilion and tennis court.
11:33 a.m.: Police chief phoned the mayor and e Frazier declared the flash flooding an emergency to Andrew Carlin, director of Waupaca County Emergency Management.
11:36 a.m.: City of Waupaca employee arrives to assist at the wastewater treatment plant.
11:44 a.m.: Manawa Officer Wesoloski arrives at the high school evacuation site.
11:53 a.m.: Video is taken and sent to the Command Post of water going over the dam railing on the west side by the embankment and over the walkway by the dam building to the south.
11:56 a.m.: Power company arrives to cut power to the park to avoid injuries.
12:06 p.m.: Cameras in lower park stop.
12:15 p.m.: First bus seen arriving at nursing home, via the high school camera.
12:17 p.m.: Bridge is closed to non-emergency traffic.
12:21 p.m.: Third bus called for rodeo grounds and trailer park evacuation.
12:45 p.m.: Water had receded on the dam enough to attempt to open the gates and remove the boards.
1:08 p.m.: North embankment failure worsens.
1:13 p.m.: Water can be seen traveling from the river into right field at the baseball field.
1:35 p.m.: The softball, baseball fields, buildings, wastewater treatment plant are all flooded along with the city shop’s parking area.
2:15 p.m.: Evacuation started at the nursing home.
3:01 p.m.: A small and large bus were seen leaving the nursing home from the high school camera.
4:40 p.m.: The water begins to recede by the city’s lower shop.
4:45 p.m.: Nursing home residents arrive at the Wisconsin Veterans Home in King.
5:00 p.m.: Evacuated residents allowed to go back home.
5:45 p.m.: High school evacuation site closed and Kobussen provided a ride home to a resident.
6:00 p.m.: The water has mostly receded to the upper restrooms.
