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Severe storms hit Oconomowoc twice
Mother Nature isn't cutting Oconomowoc a break. First, there was hail the size of quarters on Friday. Three days later, more storms led to severe flooding.
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - Mother Nature isn't cutting Oconomowoc a break. First, there was hail the size of quarters on Friday, June 10. Three days later, more storms led to severe flooding.
At Big Rich's Small Engine Tuesday, June 14, puddles and debris were evidence of Monday's storms.
Oconomowoc's mayor said more than 1,000 homes were damaged as a result of this one-two punch.
"Mother Nature at its best," said Barbara Johnson.
From Friday's hail to Monday's flooding, Johnson said in three days, she saw it all.
"It was hailing, and it just wouldn’t stop," said Johnson. "We had about quarter-size hail, and the ground was perfectly white."
After Monday's storms, her storefront, Big Rich's Small Engine, was unrecognizable.
"This is much worse than Friday," said Johnson. "Much worse. The water was up to the top of the porch. You couldn’t even see the grass. It all flooded."
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It was all-hands-on-deck to get the water down.
"People were coming with their rakes, trying to find the grates again to drain it because they were clogged," said Johnson.
Just down the road, Greg Trautman experienced the joys of homeownership after being hit back to back.
"It’s been a rough five days," said Trautman. "The roof, I figured it was kinda at its end of its life, so I figured it was probably going to be where the shingles really took a beating. There was a lot of sand that came off the shingles."
After 20 years with the same roof, he is hoping his new one brings him the same luck.
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"We haven’t had any water damage in all the years we lived here, so we want to try and keep it that way," said Trautman.
Oconomowoc neighbors said they're in this together, and that thought makes the dark skies a little brighter.