Milwaukee Again Cleaning Up From ‘Overwhelming Force of Nature’
City officials said there was little more they could have done to prepare.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke survey damage to W. Pleasant St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
It happened again.
Milwaukee and several surrounding suburbs experienced heavy rain and flash flooding Wednesday night into Thursday morning, flooding basements and streets.
“What Milwaukee faced last night was an overwhelming force of nature,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson in a press conference Thursday afternoon at Schlitz Park. “Some neighborhoods saw a month’s worth of rain drop in a single instance, sometimes in an hour or two.”
The August 2025 storm was declared a 1,000-year storm for its probability. Portions of Milwaukee received more than 15 inches of rain during that storm. A Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District tracker says, since April 13, Jones Island has received the most rain at 6.13 inches.
“I certainly hoped it would be at least 100 years before we saw a storm similar to what we saw last year in August. Unfortunately, nature has not cooperated, and many of our neighborhoods have faced flooding again,” said Johnson. “I have just so much sympathy for folks who are dealing with flooding in their homes, the cleanup that they once again, in just a few months’ time, have to embark on again.”
Department of Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke said the problem began Monday night, when city forestry crews received 145 emergency calls about downed trees due to heavy winds. By Tuesday, the total had grown to more than 200. “Especially as the ground is saturated today, we are still concerned with the trees overtopping,” said Kruschke. He said the city would have seen 10 times as many trees downed if leaves had already bloomed.
The issue is beyond something the city can reasonably plan for, said the commissioner.
“We cannot prevent flash flooding. The intensity of rain that had come down yesterday is something any sewer system cannot withstand,” said Kruschke. “The amount of rain that came down was only a couple of inches, but how fast it came down in such a short period of time overwhelmed our system.”
Kruschke said DPW was proactively clearing catch basins (drains) on Tuesday in anticipation of heavy rain.
“Yesterday’s storm was a volume issue; it wasn’t a catch basin issue,” said Kruschke. “There was nothing we could have done to prep that besides not having rain … before yesterday’s storm, there was nothing we could have done.”
He said the surge in water resulted in rivers and streams overflowing, which blocked storm sewers from being able to drain.
“Our sewer system is in good condition, but as I said before, no system is designed to handle that amount of volume in such a short time,” said Kruschke. “These impacts were not preventable, but they were felt across the entire region, not just Milwaukee.”
More than 1,000 calls have been received by the city regarding water issues.
“This is bigger than the city of Milwaukee,” said MMSD Executive Director Kevin Shafer. He said the Deep Tunnel was already 77% full before Wednesday’s downfall started. A combined sewer overflow, in which all sewer water is directed into area waterways, began at 8:30 p.m. and was ongoing at the time of the 1 p.m. press conference.
Closing the gates to the tunnel, said Shafer, does not back water into people’s homes. “We are not backing it up, we are just redirecting it to another outlet point,” he said.
What caused the surface flooding?
Flooding on E. North Avenue pushed a manhole cover down the street. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
“A lot of the folks are thinking that leaves caused a lot of this water and catch-basin backup; that is not the case,” said Kruschke. “It is a lot of debris, it is a lot of trash.” A DPW representative said crews are responding to reports and clearing grates in low-lying areas.
“We need the public’s help to keep the city clean,” said Kruschke, admonishing littering.
“There is a consequence. It doesn’t just disappear when you throw something out the window,” said the mayor.
Johnson praised individuals who cleaned stormwater grates.
“There are going to be investments from the city, yes. There are going to be citizens stepping up and doing their part, yes. We are also going to need state and federal government too, and recognizing that yes, we have a changing climate.”
What are the city’s long-term plans?
“Anytime we see consistent flooding in certain areas, we are always looking to mitigate those,” said Kruschke.
Shafer said MMSD remains focused on building four stormwater basins. Construction bidding is expected to open in September on the first project. The basins are expected to hold tens of millions of gallons of stormwater.
“We are trying to push these projects forward, trying to pay for that, along with all of the work we are already doing,” said Shafer. He said the basins would help lower river levels, which would allow sewers to work more effectively.
What residents shouldn’t do
Flooding on S. 2nd St. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
“It is never safe to drive through standing water anywhere in streets,” said Kruschke. “If it is 2 inches or 2 feet, it is dangerous to go through and you will be stranded.”
Milwaukee Fire Department Assistant Chief Schuyler Belott said the majority of what MFD storm task forces responded to were motorists stranded after driving through street flooding. He said more than 115 storm-related calls came in, including for basement collapses.
Department of Neighborhood Services Commissioner Jezamil Arroyo-Vega and Belott said residents should not attempt to deal with flood damage in their basements alone and should consult a licensed electrician for electrical issues.
Individuals can report issues by calling 414-286-2489 or using the city’s Click to Action website.
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