OZAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. — Heavy rainfall across southeast Wisconsin this weekend caused flooding issues throughout Ozaukee County, including a sunken boat and water threatening local businesses.
While the area did receive several inches of rain, damage was relatively minor in comparison with damage reports in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. In Ozaukee, the local Emergency Management Agency says most flooding damage was limited to neighbors’ basements.
Watch: Storms sink 50-year-old boat in Port Washington, threaten Ozaukee businesses
King Coles discovered Sunday morning that his five-decade-old boat had partially sunk in the Port Washington Marina.
"We have a long history together, using it to fish and duck hunt," Coles said. "I'm not sure if it's salvageable. I have no idea until we get it out [of the water] ... Nobody got hurt. That's the big thing."
From the bluffs north of the marina, brown runoff is still visible in the water, showing the impact of heavy rainfall across the region.
In Thiensville, the overflowing Milwaukee River affected a local park and nearby businesses. The riverside patio of Fiddleheads Coffee flooded, as did the basement of the business.
Manager Alicia Freimuth says they remained open for business on Monday.
"Even this morning, the patio was full. We had customers here," Freimuth said. "[The water is still] coming up, and it’s rising by the hour."
This isn’t the first time the area has faced severe flooding. Similar conditions affected Ozaukee County in late summer 2018.
Scott Ziegler is director of the Ozaukee County Emergency Management Agency. He says the county has implemented mitigation strategies since the 2018 floods, like increasing the size of retention areas and opening up streams.
"It might flood parts of a park, but that keeps it from going into the road or houses somewhere. There are kind of little trade-offs that are made sometimes," Ziegler said.
Ziegler estimates the countywide damage is in the six-figure range.
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