>> FLOOD WARNINGS IN WISCONSIN,
ESPECIALLY ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER HAVE SPHRAFO FORECASTERS T
RECORD HIGH WATER.
IT IS EXPECTED TO CREST BY 15
FEET MONDAY EVENING.
FLOOD STAGE IS 12 FEET.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
DESCRIBES THIS AS MAJOR FLOODING
LIKELY TO INVOLVE EXTENSIVE
INUNDATION OF ROADS, STRUCTURES,
AND/OR SIGNIFICANT EVACUATION
EFFORTS.
WITH THIS FLOODING FORECAST, THE
CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ASKING
RESIDENTS TO PREPARE ALONG THE
MISSISSIPPI, LACROSSE AND BLACK
RIVERS.
STAND IS BEING GIVEN OUT FOR
FILLING SANDBAGS AND RESIDENTS
ARE TOLD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY
PLAN.
GOVERNOR'S STATE OF EMERGENCY
ACTIVATES THE WISCONSIN NATIONAL
GUARD WITH THE STATE PATROL
RECOMMENDING AGAINST TRAVEL IN
HIGH WATER AREAS.
HERE TO DETAIL THE THREAT, MIKE
WELVAERT WHO JOINS US.
MIKE, THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH
US.
>> IT'S MY PLEASURE.
>> SO WHAT'S THE LATEST ALONG
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FOR
WISCONSIN CITIES AND TOWNS RIGHT
NOW?
>> ALL THE SNOW THAT WE HAD THIS
WINTER RAPIDLY MELTED WHEN WE
HAD THOSE WARM TEMPERATURES A
WEEK OR SO AGO AND THEN WE'VE
ADDED RAIN ON TOP OF THAT, SO
ALL THAT WATER IS WORKING ITS
WAY THROUGH THE TRIBUTE STORIESD
DOWN INTO THE MAIN STEM OF THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND THAT WATER
IS DOWNSTREAM.
IT IS CLOSE TO CRESTING IN THE
TWIN CITIES AND THEY'LL BE
SENDING THAT DOWNSTREAM ALONG
THE MINNESOTA-WISCONSIN BORDER
BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
>> AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING
OVER THE WEEKEND IS THAT THE
RIVER WILL BE RISING FARTHER
TOWARD THAT CREST IN THE
LACROSSE AND OTHER TOWNS AND
CITIES ALONG THE WISCONSIN
BORDER THERE?
>> YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
>> WHAT WILL THE FLOODING LOOK
LIKE FOR HOMEOWNERS AND
TRAVELERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS?
>> WELL, THIS FLOODING THAT
WE'RE SOMETHING THIS YEAR, THE
MISSISSIPPI DOES EXPERIENCE
FLOODING MANY YEARS, BUT THIS
YEAR IN TICKER, WATER LEVELS ARE
QUITE A BIT HIGHER THAN WE
USUALLY SEE.
IT'S LOOKING RIGHT NOW LIKE
WE'RE GOING TO SEE CRESTS
SOMEWHERE NEAR WHAT HAPPENED IN
2001, MAYBE 1969.
SOME OF THE REALLY BIG FLOOD
YEARS THAT WE HAD.
SO IT'S LOOKING LIKE A TOP TWO
OR TOP THREE CREST ALONG THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER THROUGHOUT
THAT AREA.
>> HOW DANGEROUS IS THIS, THEN?
>> IT'S PRETTY DANGEROUS.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE NEAR THE
RIVER OR YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF
ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE YOU NEAR
THE RIVER, BE SURE TO HEED AND
FOLLOW ANY DIRECTIONS REGARDING
CLOSURES, WHAT LOCAL OFFICIALS
MIGHT BE SAYING AS FAR AS
WHETHER YOU SHOULD GO INTO THOSE
AREAS OR NOT.
IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE A BIG DEAL,
BUT WITH THAT MUCH WATER REALLY
IS MOVING AT A PRETTY GOOD CLIP,
IT CAN SWEEP YOU OFF YOUR FEET
AND YOU CAN BE DOWNSTREAM BEFORE
YOU KNOW IT.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF
DEBRIS IS IN THE WATER.
WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF REPORTS OF
LARGE TREES AND THINGS LIKE THAT
COMING DOWNRIVER.
IN ADDITION TO, UNFORTUNATELY,
PEOPLE'S DOCKS AND OTHER TYPES
OF DEBRIS THAT HAVE FLOATED AWAY
FROM THEM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF
DEBRIS IN THE WATER, AND IF YOU
WERE TO GET CAUGHT IN ANY OF
THAT, IT COULD BE VERY
DANGEROUS.
>> THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE,
AS WE MENTIONED, SUGGESTED THAT
THIS FLOODING INVOLVES EXTENSIVE
INUNDATION OF ROADS AND
SIGNIFICANT EVACUATION EFFORTS.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS SEEN
WITH THESE KINDS OF RIVER LEVELS
PREVIOUSLY?
>> YEAH.
IN THE PAST WHERE WE'VE HAD
THESSALONTHESE HIGHER LEVEL FLOE
ARE RIVERS UP AND DOWN THE
MISSISSIPPI AND ON BOTH SIDES,
THE FOLKS WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA
KNOW THAT THEY FLOOD FIRST, BUT
NOW IS THE TIME TO TAKE THOSE
PRECAUTIONS.
WITH WATER LEVELS THIS HIGH, WE
HAVEN'T SEEN THIS IN OVER 20
YEARS FOR MANY OF THESE
LOCATIONS, AT LEAST, SO TAKE
THOSE PREPARATIONS AND GET THOSE
DONE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
IF YOU'RE IN AN AREA THAT
HAPPENS TO GET STRANDED, SO
YOU'LL BE LOCKED OUT, YOU SHOULD
PROBABLY HAVE A PLAN TO KNOW
WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU ARE
ISOLATED DUE TO HIGH WATER.
CONSIDER EVACUATIONS IF THEY'RE
ORDERED BY YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS.
>> SO THE ENTIRE STATE OF
WISCONSIN IS UNDER A STATE OF
EMERGENCY FOR FLOODING.
WHAT OTHER AREAS ARE OF GREATEST
CONCERN?
>> RIGHT NOW, THE WORST OF THE
FLOODING IS REALLY EXPECTED
ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
ITSELF.
HOWEVER, WITH ALL THE RECENT
SNOW AND RAIN EVENTS THAT WE'VE
HAD, A LOT OF THE RIVERS ARE
RUNNING QUITE HIGH AT THE
MOMENT.
I KNOW THE WISCONSIN RIVER HAS
BEEN QUITE HIGH FOR SEVERAL
WEEKS NOW.
I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING AROUND THE
PORTAGE AREA, WORKING ITS WAY
DOWN THE WISCONSIN RIVER.
SO ANYWHERE WE SEE ANY
ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION OVER
THE COMING WEEKS, WE NEED TO PAY
ATTENTION.
GROUND IS PRETTY WET.
ANY RAINFALL IS GOING TO ADD TO
FLOOD RISK.
>> WHAT KIND OF ADDITIONAL
PRECIPITATION MIGHT YOU BE
FORECASTING?
>> RIGHT NOW, THANKFULLY, IT'S
LOOKING LIKE WE'RE GOING TO SEE
MAYBE SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION
OVER THE NEXT -- WELL, TODAY AND
INTO TOMORROW, PERHAPS, BEFORE
THIS STORM SYSTEM WE'RE
CURRENTLY LOOKING AT PULLS OUT
OF THE AREA, BUT BEYOND THAT,
WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT ANYTHING
REAL SIGNIFICANT FOR AT LEAST
SEVEN OR EIGHT DAYS, SO THAT'S
GOOD, WE NEED THE TIME TO ALLOW
THIS WATER TO WORK ITS WAY
THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
>> I READ ON THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE THAT WE
SHOULD EXPECT FLOODING TO LAST
SEVERAL WEEKS, AND SO RIVERS
DON'T CREST AND THEN RECEDE
QUICKLY.
HOW DOES THAT WORK ITSELF OUT?
>> THE SMALLER TRIBUTARY RIVERS,
THEY ONLY HAVE A SMALLER
GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT CONTRIBUTES
TO WATER GOING UP AND DOWN IN A
RIVER, SO SMALLER TRIBUTARIES,
THEY GO UP AND THEY GO DOWN
ANYWHERE FROM SIX, EIGHT HOURS
TO MAYBE PERHAPS A DAY OR TWO,
BUT THE LARGER RIVERS, LIKE THE
MISSISSIPPI OR THE WORK, THEY'RE
DRAINING A VERY, VERY LARGE
GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
ALL THE WATER FROM ALL OF THOSE
SMALLER TRIBUTARIES, AS IT MOVES
ITS WAY INTO THE LARGE RIVER,
ALL THAT WATER HAS TO FROG AND
WORK ITS WAY DOWNSTREAM SO IT
TAKES A WHILE FOR THAT, AND SO
THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT THE
MISSISSIPPI TO STAY ACTIVE.
IT'S DRAINING FROM NORTHERN AND
WESTERN MINNESOTA SO THERE'S A
LOT OF WATER COMING, AND
ACTUALLY, NORTHERN WISCONSIN AS
WELL COMING DOWN THE SAINT
CROIX.
ALL OF THOSE ARE BIG
CONTRIBUTORS THIS YEAR.
>> MIKE WELVAERT FROM THE