Utilities or communities affected by the extensive flooding of 2008 may be eligible for state or federal assistance in their response and recovery efforts.  For more information, contact the following:

Wisconsin Emergency Management provides current information on the 2008 flooding, volunteer resources, flood response efforts, and news releases. Call the State Emergency 24-hour Hotline at (800) 943-0003 or (608) 242-3232.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides information on coping with flooding, protecting drinking water quality for both public and private water supplies, protecting property, and dam safety.

Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services provides flooding health and safety tips.

Federal Emergency Management Agency provides information about declared federal disasters, temporary housing, flood insurance, and other financial resources.

Anyone with damages and losses caused by the June severe storms, tornadoes and flooding can apply for assistance by calling 800-621-3362 (FEMA). Those with a speech- or hearing-impairment can call (TTY) 800-462-7585. Both telephone lines, as well as online registration at www.fema.gov, are open 24 hours a day. 

Wisconsin Rural Water Association Dispatches Flood Assistance

Rural Water staff has been very busy since the flooding began Monday, providing pumps and visiting more than 15 communities and supplying municipal bottled water to Red Cross shelters in Sauk and Crawford counties. More than 7500 bottles of municipal water have been provided by Rural Water to families evacuated to shelters in Gays Mills and the Spring Green area. WRWA’s Emergency Trailer was dispatched, immediately after the call for bottled water was received. WRWA Circuit Riders have been working overtime, locating and providing pumps to communities in dire need of assistance. Communities in southern Wisconsin with available spare pumps should contact WRWA Emergency Response Field Coordinator Jeff Labelle at 715-340-8860. For a sampling of photos visit  http://www.wrwa.org

Responding to Disasters

Natural disasters such as tornados, flooding, and wildfires can affect utility operations, disrupt service, and threaten public health.  Most utilities have emergency response plans in place for dealing with these disasters. However, few communities have the resources to handle large-scale emergencies on their own.   The Wisconsin Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network (WisWARN) is a multijurisdictional mutual aid agreement that communities can use to share resources and personnel during a crisis. There is no cost to join WisWARN, and members are not obligated to respond to requests for assistance.

For more information, contact Dan Lynch (Janesville Water Utility), WisWARN committee chair, by email at lynchd@ci.janesville.wi.us or by phone at (608) 755-3116.

• WisWARN
• National WARN program