When Thomas Hipke ended his shift as a server at Leff’s Lucky Town tavern in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, at 1 a.m. Sunday, the rain that had been coming down hard for hours in the Milwaukee area seemed to be letting up.
“I was like, ‘Oh, maybe it’ll be better,’” Hipke, 20, recalled thinking before going to sleep.
When he woke up, the town was swamped.
Record-setting rains in southeastern Wisconsin overnight Saturday to Sunday led to life-threatening flash flooding in Wauwatosa, Milwaukee and surrounding communities. The downpour prompted water rescues, damaged homes and businesses, and knocked out power for thousands.
Officials in Milwaukee County declared a state of emergency, and the Wisconsin State Fair canceled its last day Sunday because of the severe weather.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries connected to the flooding.
The Milwaukee area received nearly 8 inches of rain from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, setting a record for a two-day rainfall total in the Milwaukee area, according to the National Weather Service. More heavy rain was expected into the evening on Sunday, forecasters said, and flood warnings remained in effect across Wisconsin.
The Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management said Sunday that it had not yet been able to tally all the calls for service or to compile a complete damage assessment. But the office noted in a statement that the rain had “overwhelmed local drainage systems” and that “widespread flooding and extensive damage to homes, businesses, roadways and parks have posed an imminent threat to public safety.” Some homes and businesses in the county were also damaged by lightning during the storm, the office said.
Widespread power outages, flooding and road closures affected at least 19 municipalities across the county, Cassandra Libal, the agency director, said in an email.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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