Kenosha Public Works Director Brian Cater said that the nearly full day of rainfall simply overwhelmed the stormwater system, causing backups …
Flash flooding from heavy rains sent water into streets, homes and businesses in Kenosha County, and even led to the Public Safety Building’s temporary closure on Monday.
The weather event forced officials to close public access to the city’s and county’s hub for police and sheriff’s department and emergency dispatch services at 1000 55th St. for an hour and 15 minutes, beginning at 4:40 p.m., according to notices posted on the departments’ social media.
“You couldn’t walk in the (front) door because (water) was all the way up to the doors,” said Lt. Chase Forester of the Sheriff’s Department. The parking lot in front of the Public Safety Building was also submerged in the sudden deluge, he said. At that point, it was more conducive to kayaks and flotation devices.
“(The public) couldn’t even park in the front parking lot there because it was all flooded out,” he said. “And then, it all went away.”
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Public Information Officer Sgt. Colin Coultrip said their basement got “a few inches of water” when water off of 11th Avenue flowed down their parking ramp, but the City Streets Department cleared the drainage blockage.
“The building was closed for approximately one hour due to the moat surrounding our building,” Coultrip said. “All offices and equipment remain open and unimpacted by water.”
Public Works Director Brian Cater said that the nearly full day of rainfall simply overwhelmed the stormwater system, causing backups. They had had crews out looking into any backed-up areas, but he advised any residents who spotted flooding to contact the Public Works Department in the future.
“We can’t be everywhere at once, if there’s a concern, don’t assume we know,” Cater said.
He also reminded residents about the rules surrounding lawn waste, which can cause flooding issues during rain storms.
“A lot of our clogged inlets, it’s due to landscaping debris,” Cater said. By properly disposing of grass clippings, leaves and more, “it helps keep our facilities clear when you have these kinds of rains.”
The National Weather Service in Sullivan, Wis., issued a flash flood warning from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for Kenosha and Racine counties, along with a marine warning for areas along the waterfront in the respective cities. Flood watches were also issued for Southeast Wisconsin in nearby counties, including Walworth.
Heavy rainfall caused flooding outside Bellissima Hair Design at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in Downtown Kenosha Monday afternoon.
According to data collected at the Kenosha Regional Airport, where the weather service has monitoring systems, nearly an inch of rain fell between 3 and 4 p.m. Just under 2.5 inches of rain total were recorded in a 24-hour period at the airport monitoring site, with the storm front initially dumping the first round of heavy precipitation before 1 p.m. on Monday. Heavy rain also fell before 9 p.m. Monday night. followed by a steady downpour that produced just under an inch in an hour, according to the data.
A number of intersections were inundated with water in the city of Kenosha. Just outside Bellissima Hair Design at 5700 Seventh Avenue in Downtown, the streets took on water, which could be seen spilling onto the sidewalk in video submitted by hair salon employees to the Kenosha News.
There were also unconfirmed reports of flooded basements in a number of neighborhoods, including some along Sixth Avenue, among others.
Jamie Johnson, owner of The Dry Guys, a local business that handles flood and water damage, said they responded to over a dozen flooding calls before 10 p.m. Monday. primarily on Kenosha’s northside. She advised that safety and speed were critical when dealing with flooding. If people had any concerns, they should contact professionals and reach out to their insurance.
“The longer it sits, the harder it is to save,” Johnson said.
Capt. Matthew Strelow said while basement flooding at the safety building is not uncommon when heavy rainstorms occur due to the building’s age and location, no major problems occurred in the city.
“I think there was a couple of cars that stalled out and very large puddles, but nothing that resulted in injury or major incident,” he said.