Manawa flooding: What residents can expect as city goes into recovery mode

MANAWA — The Manawa community came together Monday night in an effort to understand the next steps in the recovery process after July 5 floods eroded the land near the Manawa Mill Pond dam and flooded Little Wolf River and portions of the city. The meeting at Little Wolf High School, 515 E. Fourth St., involved many city organizations looking to help.

The meeting included a PowerPoint, with pictures of the flooding happening in a matter of minutes. Images show muddy water filling streets and parking lots within the city, getting worse as the afternoon continued.

The meeting mainly answered questions that residents had for the community leaders. Here's what we know about the day of the flooding, what's been done since, and what's still to come.

What do we know about the day of the flood?

According to community meeting:

• At 6:48 a.m. on July 5, the dam operator did a daily check. Forecast was for 1.24” of rain, so dam gates were opened to the appropriate level.
• At 7:08 a.m., rain began falling.
• At 10 a.m., the storm sewer was mostly unable to take in anymore water.
• At 10:19 a.m., the entrance from South Bridge Street into Lindsay Park flooded with water flowing into the park.
• At 10:29 a.m., dam operator received a notification the water level was high.
• At 11 a.m., dam operator arrived and saw water was going over the dam and embankment.
• At 11:53 a.m., video is taken of water going over the dam railing on the west side by the embankment and over the walkway by the dam building to the south.
• At 12:17 p.m., South Bridge Street is closed to non-emergency traffic.
• At 1:13 p.m., water was seen traveling from the river into right field at the baseball field.

What's still unknown after the flooding?

Prior to the meeting, Manawa Mayor Mike Frazier spoke with The Appleton Post-Crescent about the follow ups to the floods, with a lot of things still in the air. For example, there still isn't a specific number of homes damaged, but he claims its more than expected, judging by how many people showed up to clean-up sessions.

Police Chief Timothy O’Hara and his officers, the city clerk, and other community leaders have worked a lot of overtime throughout all this. This includes taking many phone calls on the day of the flood to assist residents. When asked an estimate of how many hours in overtime were incurred, Frazier said it'll be figured out once it is payroll time.

What are the future steps for the city?

Frazier told The Post-Crescent that the storm sewers will most definitely be looked into, as they were compromised and damaged during flooding.

He also said the city wants to prevent a sink hole from happening by cleaning out the debris that got into the sewers.

Who helped out when Manawa was in recovery mode?

Frazier said the Red Cross of Green Bay arrived with cleanup kits and bleach to help pick up the water.

Volunteers from the Little Wolf Football Team helped the community on July 13, going to the homes of residents who couldn't bring their damaged/soaks items in for inspection, according to Frazier. Different neighbors in the community stepped up, too, helping people carry out their damaged goods.

The Black Otter Supper Club, a family owned restaurant in Hortonville, also donated food July 12. Geri Guyette, one of the owners of the establishment, is a Manawa native.

What services are available for Manawa residents during this process?

According to a post on the city of Manawa's Facebook page, if residents have sewer or water damage, the city's insurance may be able to reimburse them for the damages provided they fill out a claim form.

As more details continue to file out from Manawa as far as what needs to be done, Frazier asks residents to be patient, as things like this take time when it comes to finding the necessary resources to fix it.

Rashad Alexander can be reach at ralexander@gannett.com.