GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – There’s a new focus on fixing frustration from flooding in Brown County.
Seven weeks after the East River poured over its banks, and into Green Bay homes, local agencies are looking at the way they responded to the emergency.
“I think we did a great job as far as the initial response,” said Chief David Litton of the Green Bay Metro Fire Department. “We could have communicated a little bit better, certainly after the fact.”
Like so many others, James Wagner and his wife, Pat John, had water in their basement. Some of their East River area neighbors had it much worse.
They tell FOX 11 when they tried to find them help, they say they came up empty-handed.
“Communication is so bad,” said Wagner. “She’s calling every professional organization in the area and getting nothing.”
“It was pathetic,” said John. “It’s embarrassing.”
John and Wagner brought their frustrations to Brown County’s Public Safety Committee on Wednesday evening.
Brown County Emergency Management Director Jerad Preston says the state is looking to standardize the 2-1-1 service, the number of flood victims were told to call for help.
“Right now, like I said, each 2-1-1 organization is an independent organization. So it may be random questions and then the other thing, at night that 2-1-1 call center in Green Bay closes and all our numbers get routed to La Crosse, as well as the weekends.”
John and Wagner are happy to hear the meeting is also being held. They hope improvements can be made now, in case the water starts to rise again in the future.
On May 13th, a neighborhood meeting for those affected by the March flooding is going to be held at Sullivan Elementary School at 6 p.m.
