After a record-setting rainfall on Monday, August 20, 2018, and with the Sugar River's banks overflowing, eight homes in the Village of Belleville were evacuated on Tuesday night.

"Families returned to their homes on Wednesday to assess damage and begin cleanup," said Brian Wilson, Village Administrator, Clerk and Treasurer. "All residents with damage were instructed to call 211 and file a report. Through 211, we know of 23 homes impacted by flooding in various degrees."

Chair of Belleville's Emergency Management Committee Gary Ziegler added that the evacuated residents stayed with family or friends or decided to go to other shelters.

Kevin Therkelsen, who grew up in Belleville, was one of the eight families who was evacuated on Tuesday.

He said he was lucky because he doesn't have a basement but has a lot of landscaping projects to work on to ease the river bank erosion.

"There was some damage to the living area, the laundry room, and, of course, damage to the hardwood floors," said Therkelsen. "But I didn't have damage like some families in our neighborhood."

No businesses have reported any damage and it is too soon to estimate the damage costs.

"I do not have any estimates on residential damage costs," said Wilson. "Dane County and state officials will send damage assessment teams to visit affected residences in the near future."

All damage to village property happened in Community Park.

"The railing on the pedestrian bridge was broken," added Wilson. "Engineers have not been able to inspect the structure of the bridge. There was some erosion of the berm and the gravel parking lot and street in Community Park. Also, a large stone in the retaining wall for the Riverwalk collapsed due to erosion; the entire retaining wall will need to be excavated and replaced. The initial estimate is approximately $70,000 for Community Park, but that may increase."  

Sugar River Park was flooded, but village officials are not aware of any significant damage.

The Belleville Fire Department's basement flooded and the damage is substantial to appliances, flooring, and walls.

"The basement was remodeled earlier this year and will need to be replaced," explained Wilson. "The rough estimate I received was $200,000 in damage, but the fire chief said that may be high because part of the estimate was to replace an emergency generator, but it could be repaired."

Ziegler urged residents and visitors to stay out of Community Park and Sugar River Park until, "they dry out." He also added that village officials appreciated the help from residents, the football and soccer teams, and visitors who came to help.

"At this time, we are not aware of any additional issues," said Ziegler. "Anyone who needed help got it and the village has offered dumpsters to help with the disposal of items."

If you have questions or need assistance, please call the Belleville village hall staff at (608) 424-3341.

More flooding photos are available in the Photo Gallery at: http://www.postmessengerrecorder.com/photos.