MANAWA, Wis. (AP) — A dam in an japanese Wisconsin group has been breached, prompting individuals dwelling downriver to be evacuated, the Nationwide Climate Service mentioned Friday.
The dam in Manawa alongside the Little Wolf River was breached about 1:45 p.m. by floodwaters, meteorologist Scott Cultice mentioned. The city has a inhabitants of about 1,200. It was not instantly clear how many individuals had been evacuated.
Manawa Police Chief Jason Severson estimated {that a} 50-foot-wide (15.2-meter-wide) space across the dam had eroded.
Gates on the dam ultimately had been opened to launch water and relieve strain on the construction, officers mentioned.
“It seems to be just like the dam is undamaged, however there’s fairly a bit of abrasion on the north aspect,” Severson advised reporters Friday afternoon. ”We expect the worst of it’s over, so now we’re going to start out assessing issues and see the place we go from right here.”
Because the erosion worsened, authorities started evacuating some properties, he mentioned.
The rains began about 8:30 a.m. Friday and about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) fell in a number of hours. A flash flood warning was issued for Manawa and different elements of Waupaca County
“It simply wouldn’t cease raining in and across the Manawa space,” Cultice mentioned. “That they had water rescues. Many of the downtown roads had been flooded.”
“We simply can’t eliminate the rain,” he added. “It’s simply not shifting, simply stalling.”
Emergency shelters have been arrange in a highschool and a masonic middle.
“Because of the quantity of water the dam isn’t secure,” the Manawa Police Division mentioned on its Fb web page.
All entrances to the town of Manawa, about 55 miles (88 kilometers) west of Inexperienced Bay, even have been blocked, the town mentioned in a put up on its Fb web page.
“Please don’t attempt to drive into the town or across the metropolis,” the put up learn. “Automobiles are being flooded on the roads across the metropolis. Union Avenue is flooded. N. Bridge Avenue is flooded. Beech Avenue is washed away. Howard Avenue is flooded. Industrial Drive is flooded.”
“Due to the quantity of rain we’re receiving … there will likely be flooding within the streets and yards,” the put up continued. “It’s all over the place within the metropolis.”
The climate service warns that the rain, and presumably thunderstorms, may happen by means of the weekend and into early subsequent week.
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This story has been corrected to indicate that Manawa is in japanese Wisconsin, not southeastern Wisconsin.