The Brief
Catastrophic flooding hit Milwaukee County this past weekend (Aug. 9-10).
West Allis deployed seven dumpsters to help residents dispose of ruined items.
Cleanup is expected to last two to three weeks, with more dumpsters sought.
MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. - Southeast Wisconsin saw historic and dangerous flooding this past weekend (Aug. 9-10).
Catastrophic flooding has impacted Milwaukee and other surrounding communities.
West Allis cleanup
What we know
Cleanup is underway in West Allis after floodwaters damaged homes and destroyed belongings across the city over the weekend.
One of the hardest-hit areas was near 81st Street and Rogers Street, where lawns are now piled with water-damaged items that must be thrown away. In response, the city has placed large dumpsters in affected neighborhoods for residents to discard ruined property.
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Officials say the first dumpster filled up in less than two hours. So far, seven dumpsters have been deployed, with plans to empty and return them as needed.
What they're saying
"In some locations, it’s very overwhelming," said Dave Wepking, West Allis’ director of public works. "Where you look at the residents and the amount of damage they sustained given the flooding that incurred on their property. There are areas where structurally, there are concerns.
Wepking said the city is trying to outsource additional dumpsters to reach more neighborhoods. He anticipates cleanup will take two to three weeks.
Rising water concern
Local perspective
Neighbors spent much of the day drying out their homes and throwing away water-damaged belongings after the heavy flooding.
One resident shared a video with FOX6 News showing water rising rapidly inside his apartment. He said the flooding began around 2 a.m., giving him only minutes to get his family to higher ground.
"As I got to seeing the water climbing higher, I noticed, like, ‘It’s about to be in the house in a couple of minutes.’ So, I tried to get as much stuff off the ground as I can, but I wasn’t fast enough, apparently. But the basement was filled up, I started hearing the glass breaking in the basement," said Anthony Miller, whose home was flooded.
Miller said he has contacted FEMA and is awaiting a response. In the meantime, he added, residents looked out for one another during the storm — warning neighbors about how quickly the water was rising.
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His focus now is on rebuilding.
Property damage
What we know
Many residents watched their property float away.
The flooding destroyed cars and left some without power, including an apartment complex near 84th and Greenfield that remained in the dark nearly two days later.
One resident shared a video showing how high the water rose inside the building’s parking garage, pushing some vehicles from their spots.
"[I] went downstairs and the water was up out of the garage, like to the top, couldn’t even go in there, couldn’t even get to find my cars to see them," said Sara, who lost her cars in the flooding. "I’m regretting that I didn’t get up and try to get my cars out of there."
She said she has already filed an insurance claim.
Milwaukee County is urging residents to call 2-1-1 or fill out a damage report form on the city’s Facebook page to help officials assess the extent of the destruction and potentially secure federal recovery funding.
The Source
The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
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