1
00:00:02,135 --> 00:00:04,838
Inside Wisconsin Politics
is available wherever you

2
00:00:04,905 --> 00:00:09,409
get your podcasts. A
devastating EF3 tornado

3
00:00:09,476 --> 00:00:14,548
with winds up to 140mph hit
the Appleton area on Monday.

4
00:00:14,615 --> 00:00:17,918
It leaves people without
power under boil water

5
00:00:17,985 --> 00:00:20,787
advisories, curfews and
pleas to shelter in place

6
00:00:20,854 --> 00:00:24,791
to keep roads clear. People
are in shelters as

7
00:00:24,858 --> 00:00:27,694
donations pour in. All as
communities try to pick up

8
00:00:27,761 --> 00:00:31,031
the pieces of their homes
and lives. This week,

9
00:00:31,098 --> 00:00:33,400
Governor Tony Evers
declared a state of

10
00:00:33,467 --> 00:00:37,004
emergency and activated the
National Guard to ensure

11
00:00:37,070 --> 00:00:40,641
every available resource is
deployed in response. The

12
00:00:40,707 --> 00:00:44,211
city of Menasha took a
direct hit from the tornado

13
00:00:44,278 --> 00:00:47,881
as it moved south from
Appleton. Menasha Mayor

14
00:00:47,948 --> 00:00:50,450
Austin Hammond joins us now.
Mayor, thanks very much for

15
00:00:50,517 --> 00:00:54,154
being here.
>> Thank you for having me.

16
00:00:54,221 --> 00:00:58,325
>> How are you and your
city doing right now?

17
00:00:58,392 --> 00:01:02,963
>> We're doing all right.
There is a huge influx of

18
00:01:03,797 --> 00:01:06,867
helping hands over the last
couple of days. We have a

19
00:01:06,934 --> 00:01:11,238
great volunteer operation
happening at, the former

20
00:01:11,305 --> 00:01:14,408
U.A.W. Fox Cities campus.
And volunteer Fox Cities is

21
00:01:14,474 --> 00:01:18,078
running that. And yesterday
alone, we had 1200

22
00:01:18,145 --> 00:01:21,648
volunteers, which has been
incredible. And we've been

23
00:01:21,715 --> 00:01:23,884
blessed by neighboring
municipalities coming to

24
00:01:23,951 --> 00:01:28,088
help us neighboring utility
companies. But, the damage

25
00:01:28,155 --> 00:01:31,658
from the storm is
remarkably significant.

26
00:01:31,725 --> 00:01:35,162
People have lost their
homes. People have lost

27
00:01:35,229 --> 00:01:38,298
lost their businesses,
public infrastructure,

28
00:01:38,365 --> 00:01:42,870
power out. Our water plants
were hit, and we're reliant

29
00:01:42,936 --> 00:01:46,106
on the city of Neenah to
help us do that. And as was

30
00:01:46,173 --> 00:01:48,375
mentioned earlier, some of
the areas of water service

31
00:01:48,442 --> 00:01:52,646
are under a water boil
advisory right now. So it's

32
00:01:52,713 --> 00:01:55,816
been a difficult and
challenging and trying week

33
00:01:55,883 --> 00:01:58,719
for folks here in the city
of Menasha are strong and

34
00:01:58,785 --> 00:02:01,989
resilient and, are making
the most of it. So even in

35
00:02:02,055 --> 00:02:04,825
the most darkest and
difficult moments, people

36
00:02:04,892 --> 00:02:07,594
are choosing to look out
for each other and find

37
00:02:07,661 --> 00:02:11,164
ways to lift each other up.
And it's also been

38
00:02:11,231 --> 00:02:14,568
incredible to see the
public sector, private

39
00:02:14,635 --> 00:02:17,871
sector, faith communities
all come together to uplift

40
00:02:17,938 --> 00:02:21,742
our community. So it's
really been truly

41
00:02:22,476 --> 00:02:24,511
incredible to see people
come together in this

42
00:02:24,578 --> 00:02:29,583
really difficult moment.
But it's incredibly sad how

43
00:02:30,317 --> 00:02:33,220
much damage has happened
due to this storm.

44
00:02:33,287 --> 00:02:36,657
>> So despite this enormous
property damage, how

45
00:02:36,723 --> 00:02:40,694
surprising is it that no
one was killed?

46
00:02:40,761 --> 00:02:44,131
>> I mean, it's it's a
miracle. It's truly

47
00:02:44,198 --> 00:02:47,334
remarkable. I think some of
it has to do with time of

48
00:02:47,401 --> 00:02:50,204
day in the middle of the
week. Thankfully, many

49
00:02:50,270 --> 00:02:54,942
folks were at work. And
then I think notifications

50
00:02:55,576 --> 00:02:58,378
that were given to give
people ample notice of the

51
00:02:58,445 --> 00:03:00,714
storm to get into safe
locations is another part

52
00:03:00,781 --> 00:03:05,352
of it. But it really is a
miracle that nobody to, to

53
00:03:06,954 --> 00:03:09,756
this point in time. There's
no fatalities, because of

54
00:03:09,823 --> 00:03:12,793
the storm.
>> What is the state at

55
00:03:12,860 --> 00:03:16,263
week's end here of
restoration of services and

56
00:03:16,330 --> 00:03:19,566
cleanup?
>> Yeah. So our in the city

57
00:03:21,268 --> 00:03:24,838
of Menasha, we have Menasha
Utilities, a local utility

58
00:03:24,905 --> 00:03:27,841
company. And they have been
restoring a great amount of

59
00:03:27,908 --> 00:03:32,145
power throughout our
community. So, near our

60
00:03:32,779 --> 00:03:35,682
downtown and the furthest
side of the city. And it's

61
00:03:35,749 --> 00:03:39,086
going to take quite a while
yet for restoration of

62
00:03:39,152 --> 00:03:42,055
power to be done
collectively throughout the

63
00:03:42,122 --> 00:03:44,157
entire city. But they're
making tremendous progress

64
00:03:44,224 --> 00:03:47,594
working very quick. So,
that has been very, very

65
00:03:47,661 --> 00:03:51,565
encouraging to see. And
then right now we're in

66
00:03:51,632 --> 00:03:54,501
operation of clearing
debris throughout the city

67
00:03:54,568 --> 00:03:58,505
of Menasha. So we've
contracted contractors to

68
00:03:58,572 --> 00:04:02,442
come in and help our
departments, remove some of

69
00:04:02,509 --> 00:04:05,746
that debris. And National
Guard are here today, and

70
00:04:05,812 --> 00:04:07,915
they're going to start with
traffic control and things

71
00:04:07,981 --> 00:04:11,718
like that to help us go and
more specific sections of

72
00:04:11,785 --> 00:04:14,721
our community so those
contractors can do that

73
00:04:14,788 --> 00:04:18,725
important work, to remove
the debris. So we're, we're

74
00:04:18,792 --> 00:04:21,828
actively getting as much of
the debris out as possible.

75
00:04:21,895 --> 00:04:24,898
Utilities are working
tirelessly to get power

76
00:04:24,965 --> 00:04:28,702
back on. And in addition to
our first responders, law

77
00:04:28,769 --> 00:04:31,872
enforcement have just been
doing an incredible job,

78
00:04:31,939 --> 00:04:34,875
making sure people are
taken care of and provided

79
00:04:34,942 --> 00:04:38,312
for. And it's just been a
ton of volunteer efforts to

80
00:04:38,378 --> 00:04:40,981
make sure that we're
providing people with

81
00:04:41,048 --> 00:04:44,318
cooling shelters, places to
recharge their phone, have

82
00:04:44,384 --> 00:04:48,522
a meal, have water. And
it's just all hands on deck

83
00:04:48,589 --> 00:04:50,791
and really collectively
making sure that our

84
00:04:50,858 --> 00:04:53,660
community is provided for.
>> What does your community

85
00:04:53,727 --> 00:04:56,864
need most now?
>> I think the community

86
00:04:56,930 --> 00:05:01,502
right now needs most. I
would probably say just to

87
00:05:02,169 --> 00:05:05,138
be able to have the
opportunity to have that

88
00:05:05,205 --> 00:05:08,709
work done that is so needed
of removing the debris. And

89
00:05:08,775 --> 00:05:12,112
I would just put an ask out
that people are not coming

90
00:05:12,179 --> 00:05:15,349
to gawk while people are in
some of the darkest moments

91
00:05:15,415 --> 00:05:18,118
of their life trying to
clean up their home, clean

92
00:05:18,185 --> 00:05:20,420
up the debris, when people
are coming and congesting

93
00:05:20,487 --> 00:05:22,389
our streets, it's making it
difficult for the work that

94
00:05:22,456 --> 00:05:25,292
needs to be done to be done
effectively. So if you're

95
00:05:25,359 --> 00:05:28,529
coming to Menasha to be a
helping hand, please go

96
00:05:28,595 --> 00:05:32,132
visit volunteer Fox Cities
website. And it has all of

97
00:05:32,199 --> 00:05:35,702
the volunteer opportunities
there. Based out of the old

98
00:05:35,769 --> 00:05:39,106
UW Fox Cities campus off of
midway. We would love to

99
00:05:39,173 --> 00:05:43,110
have you come volunteer.
But we need, we need

100
00:05:43,177 --> 00:05:46,413
collaboration and
partnership. And I would

101
00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,449
news and look at pictures.
That way of what has been

102
00:05:49,516 --> 00:05:52,219
happening in our community.
But right now, I would just

103
00:05:52,286 --> 00:05:56,623
say we really need the
ability to let the work be

104
00:05:56,690 --> 00:05:58,659
done that needs to be done,
whether it's our volunteers

105
00:05:58,725 --> 00:06:02,362
doing incredible work, the
National Guard, our

106
00:06:02,429 --> 00:06:05,465
emergency management, first
responders, Department of

107
00:06:05,532 --> 00:06:08,769
Public Works utility
company, the contracted

108
00:06:08,836 --> 00:06:12,673
work, the sooner all of
that can happen quickly and

109
00:06:12,739 --> 00:06:15,275
efficiently without
interruption, the quicker

110
00:06:15,342 --> 00:06:19,146
this process.
>> All right, Mayor Austin