BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Brown County Emergency Management says that rolling up your sleeves for a few minutes of work could save you and your neighborhood from a serious headache.
Residential street flooding is a concern with temperatures expected to reach the low 50’s by mid-week.
Pair that with forecasted rain showers and Jerad Preston, Director of Brown County Emergency Management, says homeowners need to be on alert.
“It’s just making sure that those storm drains on your roads are open in your neighborhood,” explains Preston.
It’s something that most homeowners don’t have to worry about throughout the year, but when a large quantity of snow melts in a short period of time it can spell disaster if it has nowhere to go.
“If there’s any ice build-up, or anything, chipping that ice away and just kind of digging them out and making sure that water has an open path and somewhere to get to,” he says.
That might mean going out with a shovel and working for a few minutes to ensure that the drain is clear of debris and capable of working properly.
According to Preston, it’s a small sacrifice to avoid a big problem.
“That way you can try to mitigate as much water backing up into your home or into your yard,” explains Preston.
Green Bay Public Works has said that they will be going around this week treating inlets to the best of their ability, but with around 15,000 in the city, they need help from homeowners to keep water drainage working properly.
“Probably not going to be that much fun right now, but getting out there and digging those out if there’s any ice build-up,” says Preston.
Not only will street flooding become a problem for the individual homeowner, but it’ll pose issues for an entire neighborhood.
Water can leak into yards and also create hazardous driving conditions.
Hydroplaning becomes a bigger concern in situations involving standing water and motorists are encouraged to slow down if indeed they encounter a street with any flooding.
Another concern could come into play when temperatures start trending downward following their mid-week peak.
Starting on Friday and continuing through the weekend, temperatures overnight are expected to dip down into the 20’s.
“At night if it does get below freezing you’re going to have big ice spots that are going to start freezing on your road too if left untreated,” he says.
