1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:17,560 The full episode of Inside Wisconsin Politics is available wherever you get your podcasts. 2 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:25,440 A devastating EF3 tornado with winds up to 140 mph hit the Appleton area on Monday. 3 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:30,800 It leaves people without power under boil water advisories, curfews and pleas to shelter 4 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,520 in place to keep roads clear. 5 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:38,940 People are in shelters as donations pour in, all as communities try to pick up the pieces 6 00:00:38,940 --> 00:00:41,200 of their homes and lives. 7 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:45,760 This week, Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency and activated the National 8 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:51,160 Guard to ensure every available resource is deployed in response. 9 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:57,480 The City of Manasha took a direct hit from the tornado as it moved south from Appleton. 10 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:03,280 Manasha Mayor Austin Hammond joins us now and Mayor, thanks very much for being here. 11 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:04,880 Thank you for having me. 12 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:09,080 How are you and your city doing right now? 13 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,520 We're doing all right. 14 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:16,440 There is a huge influx of helping hands over the last couple of days. 15 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:23,360 We have a volunteer operation happening at the former UW Old Fox City's campus and 16 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:28,920 volunteer Fox City's is running that and yesterday along we had 1200 volunteers, which 17 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:34,640 has been incredible and we've been blessed by neighboring municipalities coming to help 18 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:35,640 us. 19 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:42,520 They were a utility company despite the damage from the storm is remarkably significant. 20 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:48,440 People have lost their homes, people have lost their businesses, public infrastructure 21 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:55,200 power out, our water plants were hit and we're reliant on the city of Nina to help us do 22 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:56,200 that. 23 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:01,800 And as was mentioned earlier, some of the areas of water service are under water boil advisory 24 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:02,800 right now. 25 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:06,600 So it's been a difficult and challenging and trying week. 26 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,840 The folks here at the City of Manasha are strong and resilient and are making the most 27 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:12,840 of it. 28 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,960 So even in the most darkest and difficult moments, people are choosing to work out for 29 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,920 each other and find ways to lift each other up. 30 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:27,040 And it's also been incredible to see the public sector, private sector, faith communities 31 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,040 all come together to uplift our community. 32 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:35,680 So it's really been truly incredible to see people come together in this really difficult 33 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:36,680 moment. 34 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:44,000 But it's incredibly sad how much damage has happened to the storm. 35 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,800 Yeah, I wanted to ask the pictures tell the story, right? 36 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:49,800 But what was the scale of this? 37 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:56,720 How many homes and businesses and how much infrastructure was flattened or damaged? 38 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,200 We're still assessing that actively as time goes on. 39 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:08,200 So we have crews out assessing homes right now and taking them on if they're habitable 40 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:09,200 or not. 41 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,840 So that's something that is ongoing and actively being loved at. 42 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:20,400 So despite this enormous property damage, how surprising is it that no one was killed? 43 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:22,320 I mean, it's a miracle. 44 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:23,800 It's truly remarkable. 45 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,840 I think some of it has to do with time of day in the middle of the week. 46 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:32,840 Thankfully, many folks were at work. 47 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:38,160 And then I think notifications that were given to get people ample notice of the storm to 48 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,800 get into safe locations was another part of it. 49 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:49,000 But it really is a miracle that nobody to this point in time, there's no fatalities 50 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:50,760 because of the storm. 51 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:56,920 What is the state at week's end here of restoration of services and cleanup? 52 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:58,400 Yeah. 53 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:05,440 So in the city of Manasseh, we have Manasseh utilities, a local utility company, and they 54 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,520 open a storm at a great amount of power through our community. 55 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:15,920 So near downtown and throughout the site of the city, and it's going to take quite a 56 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:21,880 while yet for restoration of power to be done collectively throughout the entire city, 57 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,680 but they're making tremendous progress working very quick. 58 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:29,440 So that has been very, very encouraging to see. 59 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:35,040 And then right now, we're in operation of clearing debris throughout the city of Manasseh, 60 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:42,040 so we've contracted contractors to come in and help our departments remove some of that 61 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:43,040 debris. 62 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:49,400 And earlier this week, there's a state of emergency, excuse me, declared by Governor 63 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,160 120 Evers and what that we've activated the National Guard. 64 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:58,400 We requested to activate the National Guard and was granted by the governor and National 65 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:02,320 Guard are here today, and they're going to start with traffic control and things like 66 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:07,480 that to help us go in more specific sections of our community. 67 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:13,400 So those contractors could do that important work to remove the debris, so we're actively 68 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:19,320 getting as much of the debris out as possible, utilities are working tirelessly to get power 69 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:25,000 back on, and in addition to our first responders, law enforcement have just been doing an incredible 70 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:31,200 job making sure people are taking care of and provided for, and I just found a ton of 71 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:36,480 volunteer efforts to make sure that we're providing people and pulling shelters, places 72 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:44,240 to recharge their foam, have a meal, have water, it's just all hands on deck and really collectively 73 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:46,920 making sure that our community is provided for. 74 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:52,160 I know you're doing all of that work, and it's early, but do you have any ballpark damage 75 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,280 estimates yet? 76 00:05:55,280 --> 00:06:01,000 I don't at this time, just because the assessment is ongoing, there is a great and significant 77 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:06,040 amount of damage with the assessment process, and this is continuing to progress. 78 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:13,360 How long do you think it will take Manasha to recover? 79 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,440 I think we have a long road ahead of us. 80 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:22,360 I think there will be much, much work to do for days, weeks, and possibly months and 81 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:23,600 some aspects of it. 82 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:31,320 I mean the damage of the storm is devastating, and I can't stress enough just how much loss 83 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:36,080 there has been in my heart goes out to those residents, and I see them, and I hear them 84 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:41,640 hand, we're in this together, we need to take it a day at a time, but I think the important 85 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:47,240 thing to know and circumstances like this is we need to do one step at a time in order 86 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:48,760 to activate the next steps. 87 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:53,360 So right now, making sure people are safe, making sure people have those immediate basic 88 00:06:53,360 --> 00:07:01,560 needs, and then making sure we have roads clear, so contractors and our crews and all 89 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:06,360 of the municipalities that are coming in to help us can do that in part and work to clear 90 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:12,320 out our roads, build back up our utility, and then the next phases will come in where 91 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:17,000 people can get their garbage out and other things like that, so it's going to be a long 92 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:18,000 road ahead of us. 93 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,120 I anticipate many weeks yet. 94 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:24,760 What does your community need most now? 95 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:28,800 I think the community right now needs most. 96 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:34,320 I would probably say just that being able to have the opportunity to have that work done 97 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:39,520 that is so needed of removing the debris, and I would just put a mask out that people 98 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:44,680 are not coming to the gawk while people are at some of the darkest moments of their life 99 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:48,720 trying to clean up their home, clean up the debris, when people are coming and congesting 100 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,640 our streets, it's making it difficult for the work that needs to be done, to be done effectively. 101 00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:59,080 So if you're coming to Manasha to be a helping hand, please go visit volunteer Fox City's 102 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:04,280 website and that has all the volunteer opportunities there, based out of the old UWO Fox. 103 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:11,320 Fox City's campus off of Midway, we would love to have you come volunteer, what we need. 104 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,840 We need collaboration and partnership, and I would ask for people to watch the news and 105 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:20,880 look at pictures that way of what has been happening in our community, but right now 106 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:25,920 I would just say we really need the ability to let the work be done, that needs to be 107 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:32,160 done, whether their volunteer is doing incredible work, the National Guard, our emergency management 108 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:38,960 first responders, department of public works, utility company, the contract of work, the 109 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:43,320 sooner all of that could happen quickly and efficiently without interruption, like worker 110 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:45,160 we can kind of expedite this process. 111 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:51,960 All right, Mayor Austin Hammond, thanks very much and really good luck to you. 112 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:55,520 Thank you very much for having me. 113 00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:01,520 Have you gotten much sleep? 114 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:13,600 Not a lot, no, I'm not going to much sleep, but I just, it's really difficult to know 115 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:20,880 the pain that so many people are going through, and you know, it's really hard to just wrap 116 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,840 your head around how much our community has gone through this week, but it's really 117 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:29,800 encouraging at the same time, just the love that people have for each other. 118 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:34,280 It's a weird moment, I guess, is what I'm trying to articulate, there's so much love 119 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,920 and there's so much goodwill and people looking out for each other, but yeah, there's so much 120 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:40,440 pain and there's so much loss. 121 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:43,240 It's just kind of a weird space to be in. 122 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:44,840 Yeah, yeah, for sure. 123 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,440 Well thank you again for taking time out and talking with us. 124 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:51,080 Yeah, thank you for having me, I appreciate it. 125 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,440 Okay, all right, again, good luck. 126 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:58,440 Thank you.