Background

The June 2008 Midwestern United States floods are on-going flooding events which have affected portions of the Midwest United States. After months of heavy precipitation a number of rivers overflowed their banks for several weeks at a time and broke through levees at numerous locations. Flooding has continued into July. States affected by the flooding include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The American Red Cross is helping the victims of flooding and tornadoes across seven states. They anticipate spending in excess of $15 million for recent disasters.  As of June 20, twenty levees along the Mississippi River have been breached since flooding began.

Wisconsin
 
On June 7, at least six confirmed tornadoes touched down in multiple counties, as an effect of the strong winds of the daily storms. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency in thirty counties on June 9 due to the flooding. FEMA inspectors are due to examine areas that suffered the most damage.Continued heavy rains in the Wisconsin Dells led to the Dell creek bypassing the dam holding Lake Delton. On June 9, water rushing out of the lake eroded a section of County Highway A and washed away three homes and tore apart several others. The lake is now nearly empty and the escaping flood water has created a new channel for the Wisconsin River about a quarter mile away from the dam. Wisconsin National Guard engineers began repairs on the dam the same day, but with the breach being about 400 feet (120 m) wide, the repairs are not expected to be completed for over a year.  However, as Governor Jim Doyle called the lake critical to the $1 billion Wisconsin Dells tourism industry, he said the Department of Natural Resources was trying to figure out how to get the water flowing in the man-made lake. Already, there are tourists who had made summer reservations at the lake’s twenty resorts who have been canceling their reservations.  The response of the local businesses have been varied. The Delton Oaks Resort, a 60-year operation, will be closing. Meanwhile, the iconic Wisconsin Dells boat tours are reopening despite the low water level. The Tommy Bartlett Show is going to continue, though the waterskiing aspect will be discarded at least until the lake is refilled.

In southwestern Wisconsin, the Kickapoo River rose several feet above flood stage, destroying most of the village of Gays Mills. Gays Mills had already been badly flooded in the August 2007 floods. Officials said Kickapoo River flood damage in Vernon County likely will exceed the $60 million damage caused by the August 2007 floods, and already the water is two feet higher than the high water mark of a historic 1978 flood. In the early morning of June 9, 150 residents in the village of 625 were forced to evacuate. Ontario, Hillsboro, La Farge, and Viola were also severely flooded, much worse than in August 2007. The county took an average of 9 inches (230 mm) of rain over the second weekend, causing mudslides and closing over 100 roads in Vernon, but the rain relented on Monday, June 16th. More thunderstorms, and more severe flooding, is expected in both Vernon and Crawford counties later this week. All the nearby dams have held, though many have sustained damage.

Westbound lanes of Interstate 94 were closed between Johnson Creek and Lake Mills on June 10, 2008 at 7 PM because of the rising Rock River. Eastbound lanes of Interstate 90/Interstate 94 were closed between WIS 82 in Juneau County and WIS 33 west of Portage. Also, Interstate 39 was closed in two places: Northbound at its interchange with I-90/94 and WIS 78, and southbound between WIS 82 and WIS 33. The closure of I-94 westbound in Jefferson County was extended eastward to WIS 83 in Waukesha County. The closure of the interstates around Portage were extended southward to US 151 east of Madison. The first reported fatality due to flooding in the state was confirmed June 14 in Waukesha County. Flooding has also affected the communities on the Baraboo River. The town of North Freedom had all but one road into town closed because of flooding. The flooding forced the closure of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum. On June 14, federal disaster aid from FEMA was authorized under a major disaster declaration issued for the state by President Bush. Federal funding is available to affected individuals in Columbia, Crawford, Milwaukee, Sauk, and Vernon counties. Continuing damage surveys were conducted, especially in the southeast, and Wisconsin's inhabitants were reassured that other counties would be allowed to receive assistance. Richland and Racine counties were declared disaster areas on June 16.
 
On June 18, the President put five more counties under disaster area status, allowing Dodge, Green, Waukesha, Washington, and Winnebago. At the time of the announcement, the first 7 counties had already recieved almost $38,000 in FEMA aid. The rainfall in southeastern Wisconsin was anywhere from 6 to 12 inches in the string of thunderstorms. Waukesha County had up to 8 inches in certain areas. As of June 19, municipal estimates for Waukesha County was $87.7 million, $3.2 million more than earlier in the week, though the total remains fluid.