Flood Waters Leaves 2 Dead In Small Wis. Town

VICTORY, Wis. (AP/WCCO) — Residents of a tiny community which sits at the base of a bluff along the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin are trying to put their lives back together after storms and flooding ripped the town apart and caused two deaths.

Torrential rain, flooding and mudslides have caused widespread damage in Victory, an unincorporated community in the Town of Wheatland where Michael McDonald's house slid onto Highway 35 Thursday, killing the 53-year-old man.

Vernon County Sheriff John Spears says the community has been devastated and torn apart by the flooding.

The second death was 79-year-old Joseph Menne. County officials say he attempted to drive through floodwater on a road near his home on Thursday.

Investigators say he was in a pickup truck pulling a trailer that got stuck in six feet of water. The flood water eventually filled the pickup compartment. Menne was reported missing about 7 p.m. His body was found about two hours later.

The landslides and flooding closed roads throughout the area and contributed to a train derailment in Crawford County. Although the storms have moved away, the National Weather Service extended a flooding warning for Crawford, Vernon and Richland counties through Friday morning.

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