Portage County Floodwaters Drop, Emergency Operations Center Winds Down

PORTAGE, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that floodwaters in the Portage area continue to recede and are predicted to drop further over the next several days. The DNR will continue to monitor water levels as the Columbia County Emergency Operation Center returns to normal operations and damages are assessed.

Columbia County Emergency Management Director Marie Ellis would like to extend gratitude to all the partner agencies and responders who assisted during the Caledonia-Lewiston Levee Incident.

“This was truly a team effort, and it took a lot of boots on the ground to make sure the Portage community stayed safe and was kept aware of what was happening with the flooding event,” said Columbia County Emergency Management Director Marie Ellis.

Agencies responding to the incident included: Columbia County Emergency Management; City of Portage Mayor and Administrator; Portage Fire Department and EMS, Police, and Public Works; Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Highway Department; Wisconsin DNR Parks and Recreation Management, Division of Forestry, Division of Public Safety and Resource Protection, Division of External Services, and Bureau of Wildlife Management; Columbia County Dispatch; US Wisconsin Taskforce 1 – Urban Search and Rescue; Wisconsin Emergency Management Southwest Regional Director and State Emergency Operations Center staff; American Red Cross; US Army Corps of Engineers; Wisconsin National Guard; Wisconsin Department of Transportation; Columbia County Public Health; Salvation Army; Emergency Management team; Cascade Mountain Ski Resort; and the National Weather Service.

Additional gratitude goes out to community members who stepped up to help with food, staffing positions at the Emergency Operations Center and volunteering to assist in the Blackhawk neighborhood.

While the river transitions back to normal levels in the coming days and roads begin to reopen, Columbia County Highway Commissioner Donald Nichols encourages residents to “stay aware of crews working to repair and clear driving surfaces. Damages will not be able to be completely inventoried until the water is entirely off the road,” and caution should be used on affected roads as shoulders may be soft for several days. The public is urged to check road closure status on Columbia County's Emergency Management webpage under Road Closures.