FREMONT - As record flooding along the Wolf River slowly begins to recede, volunteers are uniting to help neighbors clean out basements, dry homes and preserve community buildings, even as some streets, boat launches and lakeshore areas remain underwater.
From church parking lots turned into donation hubs, to hot meals, book drives and local fundraising, residents, businesses and organizations across the region are mobilizing to support those who lost the most.
Church leads supply distribution
Outside St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Tustin Road, volunteers have been collecting and distributing cleaning supplies, fans and dehumidifiers nearly as fast as they arrive.
“We’ve been giving out the donations since Tuesday (April 21), and every day, as the donations come in, they go right back out,” said Matt Voigt, a St. Paul’s member helping coordinate the site. “Pretty much the whole village of Fremont was impacted one way or another.”
Voigt said the operation is a collaboration between St. Paul’s and three other area churches – Christ Lutheran of West Bloomfield, St. John’s of East Bloomfield and St. Peter’s of Weyauwega, along with the owner of Premier Petals in Weyauwega. Donations can be dropped at the partner churches and businesses and are funneled to St. Paul’s for distribution.
“We’re kind of central to where the action is happening,” Voigt said. “We thought, we’re the church here in town, so we’re going to kind of take a little bit of the lead here.”
Voigt estimated that up to 200 residents had already picked up supplies as of last weekend, with at least that many individuals and businesses contributing donations. Based on Amazon wish list shipments and local contributions, volunteers estimate that more than $40,000 worth of goods has moved through the site so far.
Businesses have dropped off pallets of trash bags, work gloves, fans and dehumidifiers. Residents have driven in from as far away as Green Bay and the Fox Valley with carloads of cleaning supplies.
“Product is coming from everywhere,” Voigt said. “They saw the devastation and they just want to help.”
The most urgent need now, he said, is drying equipment.
“Dehumidifiers are probably the biggest thing we need,” he said.
Voigt said mold can take over, even in basements that only took on an inch of water, and said many residents have already had to rip out carpets to keep ahead of moisture and mildew.
“Everybody’s got a story,” he said. “From the people who will be okay because they’ve got flood insurance, to the people who have no flood insurance and don’t know where they’re going to start. But if we can supply them with some cleaning products, and at least try to help that way, we will.”
Library fights to save its collection
Staff and volunteers had already moved items off the lowest shelves, unplugged equipment and built sandbag barriers. Additional volunteers later reinforced the doorways and perimeter. Those efforts kept water from directly touching the collection, but increasing humidity created the threat of mold.
“Despite attempts to shop vac the saturated carpet, placing large dehumidifiers and ensuring continuous airflow, we noticed our books absorbing moisture from the air,” library staff wrote on social media. “Due to high humidity, mold remains a very real possibility if conditions cannot be stabilized quickly.”
To protect the collection, the library has now removed all of the books from the building. Staff are working with the Outagamie Waupaca Library System (OWLS), recovery specialists and other Wisconsin libraries that have experienced similar disasters to determine next steps.
“This was a rapid-response effort that started with staff and grew throughout the day with community support,” staff said. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who reached out or offered support.”
According to the social media post, residents have asked whether a book drive or GoFundMe is coming if the collection can’t be saved. For now, library leadership is focused on state and regional funding channels, and are urging would-be donors to keep prioritizing neighbors who have lost homes and belongings, staff wrote.
“This response effort reflects the strength of our community, and we are incredibly grateful.”
Support for flood recovery
Along the Wolf River, Gills on the Wolf, a popular gathering place for locals and boaters, was flooded up to its windows.
A community-led GoFundMe fundraiser was launched to help the owners rebuild and restore the bar “so that future generations can create their own memories in this irreplaceable space.” As of early this week, the campaign had raised $19,250 of its $20,000 goal.
Residents are being urged to contribute if they’ve ever “docked up for a meal, a drink, or just good company” at the riverside spot.
Let’s Meat, a local Fremont deli and specialty grocer, has continued to offer hot meals for anyone in need and has emerged as a hub for flood response, collecting and distributing both donations and food to affected residents.
Support is also coming from surrounding communities and businesses. NM Transport launched a “Let’s Help Fremont” open donation and meal train for flood victims, noting that Fremont has received many cleaning supplies and now needs tools for drying out and demoing homes. Requested items include flat crowbars, utility knives, fans, dehumidifiers, hammers, heavy-duty garbage bags, leather work gloves and chlorine for treating wells.
At Iola-Scandinavia High School, FCCLA, DECA and NHS student council groups are running a book and toy drive for children in flood-affected families. They are collecting new or gently used children’s books, toys and stuffed animals at the school’s front office to help replace items lost in the flooding.
Some areas still under water
While some basements and streets have begun to dry out, parts of the village remain under water. Rowley Street and portions of other low-lying areas remained affected by floodwaters. Areas around the Blue Jay Resort office and bait shop were also still impacted.
The Fremont boat ramp and parking area by Wolf River Crossing Park was still significantly underwater as of early this week, as was the Webfooters water-ski launch area. Parts of the parking area and benches near Partridge Lake beach, along with adjacent docks, were still flooded.
One nearby home visible from the beach remained ringed by sandbags and temporary bracing. Meanwhile, pumps could be heard throughout downtown Fremont as business owners worked to dry out and repair damage inside their properties.
Village looks to longterm recovery
“The amount of supplies, food, and support already donated has been incredibly moving to see,” the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce said in a statement.
“Our community continues to show up for one another in the best ways.”
The Chamber is accepting monetary donations through Premier Community Bank under the account name “Fremont Chamber Relief Fund.” All donations will go directly back to those affected, supporting local residents, businesses and nonprofits as they rebuild.
“As things progress and the water finally recedes, the full extent of the damage is still unknown,” the Chamber wrote. “Recovery efforts will continue long after the flooding ends. Thank you for standing with Fremont and proving once again how strong a community can be.”
At the state and federal level, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency, activating state agencies and the Wisconsin National Guard to assist affected communities.
U.S. Rep. Tony Wied said in a statement that his office is fielding questions about Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) support and that state officials are working on the formal request required to unlock federal aid. Once state damage assessments are complete and the governor submits a request, the president can declare a major disaster, opening the door to a wider range of federal recovery programs.
“Behind every damage report is a family, a neighbor, or a small business trying to rebuild,” Wied said.
At St. Paul’s, volunteers plan to be out each day through the weekend, and maybe even longer. Voigt said they are frequently restocking bleach, gloves and bandages, and Amazon is regularly dropping off donations that supporters purchased from an Amazon wish list.
“You just have to help,” he said. “This is Fremont. We have to get back to where we were 10 days ago, and it’s very important that we get back there and we do it together.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here