MEQUON, Wis. — One year after historic flooding swept through southeast Wisconsin, Ozaukee County residents and local organizations are taking stock of what the disaster taught them — even as the area was largely spared from the worst of the damage.
WATCH: One year after floods, Ozaukee County neighbors reflect on lessons learned
The Mequon Nature Preserve closed for a few days last August after receiving a foot of rain in 24 hours, according to their own unofficial estimates. For the first time, a few inches of water actually entered the nature center. However, leaders there say the preserve's protected wetlands helped prevent far greater damage.
"We were right in the bullseye. We got hit hard," said Cory Gritzmacher, chief operations officer of the Mequon Nature Preserve. "The wetlands did everything they were designed and purposeful to do. They absorbed water. They dissipated the water. They reduced the flow. They reduced the speed of the water."
Down the road, infrastructure at like Thiensville Village Park also helped divert water away from the village's downtown — though the park itself saw feet of standing water during and after the storm.
The flooding hit close to home for Mequon neighbor Laeh McHenry, a member of the League of Women Voters and the Mequon Festival committee. While her neighborhood avoided the catastrophic damage seen elsewhere in southeast Wisconsin, she said the impact was still significant.
"It was unbelievable," McHenry said. "We had many friends that lost their basements six, eight inches up into their basements. It was just horrendous to come here and wonder how to set up."
Unlike Milwaukee, Waukesha and Washington Counties, Ozaukee County was not included in FEMA's disaster declaration following last year's floods, leaving residents without federal assistance even as some suffered significant home damage.
The lessons from the flooding are now shaping decisions across the county. The Mequon Nature Preserve is exploring moving its nature center to higher ground. Neighbors like McHenry say they are double- and triple-checking their sump pumps ahead of the next major storm.
This story was reported onair by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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