Several rounds of thunderstorms with heavy rains fell on saturated Southwest Wisconsin ground Friday, resulting in flash flooding.
The hardest hit areas were Potosi and Cassville and areas between Potosi and Cassville. A temporary shelter has been opened at the Cassville fire station.
Swiftwater rescue crews had to rescue numerous people, including an elderly person trapped in a camper floating at the Big H Campground on Grant County N. West Bluff Street and Dewey Street in Cassville were inundated, with water over the first floor of an estimated dozen homes and residents trapped inside them. Cars were swept off streets in Cassville into a culvert.
Homes on West Bluff Street in Cassville were destroyed, and other are likely to be uninhabitable, according to Grant County Emergency Management.
Homes on Lynn Hollow Road near Potosi are reported to be damaged. Several homes outside Potosi are inaccessible due to water, debris or damaged roads.
Wisconsin 81 is closed east of Grant County Y. Most rural roads in the Potosi and Cassville areas are assumed to be impassable, according to Grant County Emergency Management.
Unlike Wednesday's severe thunderstorms, the main issue was heavy rain on and off all Friday.
Potosi, Cassville, Dickeyville and Hazel Green firefighters were called due to flooding in their service areas. Flooding was reported in Glen Haven and North Andover. Technical Rescue teams were called out for swift water rescues, including a house filling with water in Cassville and a floating trailer near Cassville.
Platteville firefighters were called out around 11:30 p.m. due to water covering the road at Wisconsin 80/81 and Blockhouse Road south of Platteville.
Earlier Friday, storms caused flash flooding in Platteville, Lancaster and Potosi. Platteville flooding included houses on Water Street from Platteville High School north to the Platteville Golf & Country Club. The owner of a car on De Valera Drive had to abandon his car due to high water.
According to Grant County Emergency Management, these roads were closed as of late Friday night:
Liberty: Grant County E and Pine Knob Road.
Paris: Oak Road.
South Lancaster: Boice Creek Road at Farview Road, Old Potosi Road at Airport Road (water over road).
Potosi: South Main Street.
Town of Potosi: Grant County U at Brouillard Hill Road (rocks over road), County U at Pikes Peak Road, Boice Creek Road at South Boice Creek Road, Boice Creek Road at Dutch Hollow, Reynolds Ridge Road, Old Potosi Road at Lone Elm Tree Road.
Harrison: Big Platte Road between Grant County O and Hank Lane.
Ellenboro: 4400 Airport Road near Vesperman Road (bridge washed out), Vesperman Road, Hudson Hollow Road.
Other roads may close or be washed out as a result of another line of thunderstorms that went through the county early Saturday.
Roads that were closed but reopened include Hippie Hollow Road in the Town of Potosi, Fairgrounds Road near Brookens Road in the Town of Patch Grove, and Grant County O near Tennyson due to a mudslide.
Many road closings are reported in Lafayette and Iowa counties as well. Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill requests that drivers use caution when traveling, particularly on secondary roads. An Iowa County Nixle notification said there was "sporadic" flooding on county roads.
A flash flood watch was in effect for Grant, Lafayette and southern Iowa counties until 10 a.m.
Earlier Friday, Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency for Grant, Crawford, Lafayette, Iowa, Richland and Green counties due to damage from Wednesday's storms.
Go to www.swnews4u.com for more updates and read Southwest Wisconsin Newspapers next week.
