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Kenosha County storm flooding
Some areas are seeing the water rise around them after recent rain, which included snow in certain areas. That includes Kenosha County, along the Fox River.
KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. - Some areas are seeing the water rise around them after recent rain, which included snow in certain areas. That includes Kenosha County, along the Fox River.
Flooding along the Fox River is common. So much so, homes in the Wheatland area were cleared from the floodplain years ago. For some who still call this corner of Kenosha County home, flooding is still a concern, but it's still a slice of life with a waterfront view.
The heavy rains transformed Terry Janczak's front yard in Wheatland; his "wishing well" now serves as a sump to pump out the rainwater to the nearby ditch that's at river-level.
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"This was all the way across the road an hour and a half ago. So it’s doing its job," Janczak said. "I just call that a wishing well, because what else would you call it? A hole in the ground with bricks around it."
Even as the waters of the Fox River edge closer to his home, Janczak doesn't mind. In 2017, a flood destroyed his home.
Terry Janczak's yard
"It was bad, it was up to the door knobs, it was three feet deep right there," Janczak said.
But still, with heavy rains, roads are closed. As the Fox River fills up the floodplain, the water's surface nears the bottom of mailboxes.
The Fox River near New Munster is at a moderate flood stage right now, but it’s forecasted to nearly reach a major flood stage by Friday morning.
For Janczak, he's seen houses and people go, but he's stayed.
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"I like the house," he said. "I was waiting for the day I could have a view out of my front picture window that had no houses — just woods and trees, and I got that now."
He said he will manage when more rain falls.
"Nobody’s going to give something if you wish for it, you got to work for it," Janczak said.
The National Weather Service said if the Fox River in the area reaches the major flood stage of 14 feet, that could mean widespread flooding in lower levels of homes in portions of Wheatland and Salem Lakes.