County declares emergency ahead of Wednesday storm

By Brandi Makuski

Portage Co. Executive Chris Holman has made a disaster declaration ahead of an expected storm Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service in Green Bay on Wednesday morning issued a hazardous weather alert for Portage and all surrounding counties through midnight on July 29. Straight-line winds of up to 70 mph, torrential rain, localized flooding, and tornados, are expected after 6 p.m.

Wisconsin Emergency Management and Portage Co. Emergency Management agree the county should proactively declare a disaster so that “municipalities and the county are poised and ready for a potential severe weather disaster response.”

The expected forecast has the potential to “expand, commit, and exhaust available resources” in the county as emergency departments respond to disasters.

Residents are urged to make a plan with their families in case they need to seek emergency shelter; have an emergency kit ready to go, charge their cell phones and other devices, and reach out to family and friends who live locally to ensure they’re prepared, too.

See the declaration here:Declaration of Disaster–FINAL July 28 2021