Village Recommends Evacuation Amid Flooding

The Village of Fremont is urging residents to evacuate as floodwater rises across parts of the community and some streets become unsafe to use. (nbc26.com) NBC 26 reported Saturday, April 18, that village officials posted the recommendation that morning and said roads could become limited or unsafe with little warning. The station said streets marked in red on the village map had a foot or more of standing water as of 1 a.m. Saturday. (nbc26.com) The flooding is part of a broader emergency along the Wolf River in northeast Wisconsin. The Post-Crescent reported Fremont was under a precautionary evacuation recommendation on April 18 as the Wolf River crested at record levels, and volunteers were being sought for sandbagging. (postcrescent.com) Fremont was not the first community told to clear out. The Post-Crescent reported that by April 16, Shiocton, New London, Manawa, Clintonville, Weyauwega and Fremont were under evacuation orders or notices tied to rising water along the Wolf River system. (postcrescent.com) The flooding followed days of heavy rain and severe weather across the region. The National Weather Service office in Green Bay said on April 16 that minor to major flooding was ongoing or forecast on several rivers, with the greatest impacts on the Menominee and Wolf rivers, where major or record-breaking flooding had been observed. (weather.gov) State officials have already treated the flooding as a statewide emergency. Wisconsin Executive Order 289 says severe storms and record rainfall beginning April 13 caused flooding, structural damage, evacuations and power outages, and Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency to support response and recovery. (docs.legis.wisconsin.gov) This week’s flood threat also intensified after a separate scare at Big Falls Dam in Waupaca County. NBC 26 and WFRV reported April 14 that emergency crews responded to an imminent dam-break concern before officials later said the dam had stabilized. (nbc26.com) (wearegreenbay.com) Forecasters now expect a break from the heaviest rain. NBC 26 said most of northeast Wisconsin missed the worst of Friday’s storms and that only minimal rain was in the forecast over the following week, even as high water continued to threaten access in Fremont. (nbc26.com)