River overflows dam in Wisconsin amid heavy rains, endangering small town

Emergency crews in Manawa, Wisconsin, were working Friday to rescue people stranded on flooded roads after a river overflowed from torrential rain and washed over a local dam.

The Little Wolf River began overflowing the Manawa Dam around 12:30 a.m. local time after the area near the dam received more than five inches (13 centimeters) of rain in about four hours Friday morning, said Kurt Kotenberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Emergency services were rescuing drivers who had become stranded as they tried to flee, Mr Kotenberg said. “People were in cars on roads that were flooded,” he said. Some were rescued “standing on the bonnet of their car,” he added.

According to Mr Kotenberg, there were no reports of deaths or injuries due to the flooding on Friday afternoon.

Heavy rains in the Midwest in recent weeks have highlighted the vulnerability of dams in the region. The Rapidan Dam in southern Minnesota was on the verge of collapse last month.

The Manawa Dam is located on the north side of the Wisconsin city, on the edge of the Manawa Mill Pond. The city, home to about 1,400 people, is about 50 miles west of Green Bay. Mr. Kotenberg said it would take time to determine whether the dam had burst.

In an advisory, the Weather Service urged residents of Manawa to seek higher ground if possible. Mr. Kotenberg clarified that residents should try to do this while sheltering in place and not try to flee via flooded roads.

In a message posted on FacebookAccording to the Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office, emergency workers were working “diligently” to help vulnerable people in Manawa and residents were urged not to enter the town.

In another message, officials urged residents in the affected area to boil tap water before drinking it, saying “the public should assume the water is unsafe to drink due to contaminants.”