'Eroding steadily for a while:' Winter storm claims part of lakeshore home in Pleasant Prairie



PLEASANT PRAIRIE -- A winter storm on Saturday, Jan. 11 brought high winds to Pleasant Prairie -- and strong waves in Lake Michigan pounding homes along the lakeshore -- prompting a lakeshore flood advisory for five counties through Sunday morning. One home just couldn't take any more of Mother Nature's wrath. FOX6's cameras captured it dangling over the bluff on Lake Sore Drive -- parts of it claimed by the lake.

"The weather is pretty bad right now," said Craig Roepke, Pleasant Prairie fire chief.

Rob Lobacz



Saturday's storm shattered glass windows at the home which once had a beautiful view of the lake.

"That whole back wall went, didn't it?" said Rob Lobacz. "Terrible."

Lobacz works for the man who rents the home.

"On the Fourth of July, there was about 30 feet that way out toward the water," said Lobacz. "It's been eroding steadily for a while."



On Saturday, a concrete sidewalk looked more like a diving board -- hanging over the edge with lamps and vertical blinds dancing in the wind. Family and friends pitched in to try to save the renter's personal photos, clothes, and valuables.

"Something needs to be done about this," said Lobacz. "People's homes are going to go in. What's next? The house next door?"





It was the neighbors next door who called for help on Saturday. Chief Roepke came out to the home to post a notice on the property -- deeming it uninhabitable.

"Nobody should be living in this structure tonight, unfortunately," said Roepke.

We Energies crews were also on scene.

There were no injuries, and Chief Roepke said it didn't appear any other homes were damaged.