MANAWA, Wis. — People living downriver of a Wisconsin dam that was breached by floodwaters have been allowed back into their homes following an evacuation order and many of them now face the mess of cleaning up flooded basements, police said Saturday.
Wisconsin
Residents in Wisconsin community return home after dam breach leads to evacuations
The dam breach happened after the National Weather Service said a deluge of about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain fell on that area of eastern Wisconsin in a few hours Friday.
Homes south of Manawa’s dam were ordered evacuated Friday, but that order was lifted at 5 p.m. in the city about 55 miles (88 kilometers) west of Green Bay after the flooding subsided and a highway along which most of the affected homes are located reopened, Severson said Saturday.
Dozens of homes in the community of about 1,200 residents were temporarily evacuated, but it was not immediately clear how many residences were affected by that order, he said. There were no reports of injuries following Friday’s dam breach, Severson said.
While officials will need to repair two local roads damaged by the floodwaters, the main cleanup work in Manawa will involve residents whose basements got flooded, he said.
“There’s a lot of homes that did take on water in their basements. The water was so high it was just running through the streets and some people took on property damage,” Severson told The Associated Press.
He said a high school and a Masonic lodge that had served as emergency shelters were shut down Friday night after people returned to their homes. But Manawa’s wastewater treatment plant, which was swamped by the flooding, remained offline Saturday and a boil-water order was in effect for the city.
Christine Boissonnault spent most of Friday in the local high school’s shelter after she was evacuated from her mobile home. She said it was shocking to see the flood damage in Manawa.
“I cried when I came down and saw it. My daughter works at the store and she said she saw and heard the water going down the road,” Boissonnault told WFRV-TV.
Severson said a staffer with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation inspected the area Friday and found that the dam appears to be intact aside from erosion on one side of it.
The weather service warns that rain and possibly thunderstorms are possible through the weekend and into early next week.
Watch: Billionaire Diane Hendricks delivers address at the RNC
Businesswoman Diane Hendricks, a longtime donor for Republicans, spoke at the Republican National Convention.
America’s richest self-made woman lives in Wisconsin. She’s also, unsurprisingly, the richest person in the state.
So who is Diane Hendricks? Hendricks is the co-founder of Beloit-based ABC Supply Co., which sells roofing and building supplies. In June, she was named the richest self-made woman in the nation for the ninth year in a row by Forbes. She was also ranked the wealthiest Wisconsinite in 2025, with a 2026 net worth of $22.3 billion.
In 2022, Forbes dubbed Hendricks “the most successful female entrepreneur in American history.”
Raised on a dairy farm in Osseo, Wisconsin, the 79 year-old Hendricks had her first child at 17. She left school and worked as a Playboy Bunny before co-founding the ABC empire with her second husband in 1982. When he passed away in 2007, she took over the company.
Since then, Hendricks has more than tripled her net worth, acquired large competitors, and expanded into other sectors. According to Forbes, ABC Supply had 900 locations and $20.2 billion in revenue in 2025. She is also the chair and founder of Hendricks Commercial Properties, a real estate development company, and Hendricks Holding Company, Inc., a private investment firm.
A 2016 Journal Sentinel investigation found that Hendricks had paid zero state income tax for three years. Another investigation found that her 8,500 square foot mansion in the Town of Rock had been taxed as a 1,663 square foot ranch house for years.
Hendricks is also a powerful force in conservative politics in the state and nationally. She has donated millions to the GOP over the years. In 2016, she was a vice chair of the Trump Victory fundraising committee. Months before being named the richest person in Wisconsin, Hendricks spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee as an “everyday American.”
Hendricks has also championed economic development efforts in Beloit, cohosting an A&E show with her daughter titled “Betting on Beloit.”
- Showers will be most likely for areas along and south of the I-94 corridor
- Dry and pleasant conditions for Monday and Tuesday
- Showers and thunderstorms will return Tuesday night and into the day Wednesday
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – We are starting the day with some sunshine, but high-level clouds will continue to move in out ahead of a weather system to the southwest. This area of low pressure will move eastward across Illinois and Indiana today, bringing an increase in cloud cover as well as the chance for rain in southern Wisconsin. There is still some uncertainty with exactly how far north the rain will extend, but there is a higher confidence in the presence and coverage of showers along and south of the I-94 corridor this afternoon and evening. Activity will likely be much more hit-or-miss in areas farther north, with some spots potentially not seeing any rain at all.
The cloud cover and rain combined will work to limit temperatures today, with highs only ranging from the upper 60s (in southern Wisconsin) to the low 70s (further north where the sun may linger longer, and it will be drier). We are not expecting a heavy rain, nor are we expecting storms. In areas closer to the state line, rainfall accumulations may be around a half inch. Tonight, rain will end as the system moves east.
What’s Coming Up…
Monday will be dry and pleasant with highs into the mid-70s and some sunshine. This trend continues Tuesday, with highs in the upper 70s. Rain and thunderstorms are then likely to return Tuesday night and Wednesday, with a chance for some stronger storms Wednesday afternoon. Additional showers may linger into Thursday.
Looking Ahead…
Friday looks mostly dry before more chances for showers and thunderstorms return next weekend as temperatures warm up a bit closer to normal for this time of the year.
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MILWAUKEE (WLUK) — Four Northeast Wisconsin garage bands took to the Aurora Pavilion Stage at Summerfest Friday in hopes of winning the 2026 edition of ‘Rockonsin.’
The bands include:
- “Mania” composed of students from East De Pere High School
- “The Danios” composed of students from Mayville High School
- “The Doorknobs” composed of students from Sheboygan North High School and Étude High School
- “Krusher” composed of students from Campbellsport High School
The local bands and six others were the finalists selected from 54 middle and high schools across across Wisconsin for the 2026 contest.
All of them performed 20 minute showcases for an audience, including a trio of music industry panel judges. The bands were judged on technique, rhythm and vocals, primary beats, and synergy among other aspects.
Rockonsin announced “Krusher” won the grand prize Saturday night. Winning the contest nets the band a 12 hour recording session at Blast House Studios in Madison. The runner up band is “Candy Cigarette” from Oconomowoc High School, which wins a shorter 8 hour recording session at Blast House Studios.
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The contest is in its 22nd year.
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