Dodge County communities rally together to support, clean up after storms rock Wisconsin
DODGE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Dodge County sheriff says the worst of Thursday's storms hit Juneau.
Power lines are down and there are dozens of uprooted trees throughout the area.
Things have calmed down a bit as neighbors work together to help clean up the mess left in the storm's aftermath.
According to the Dodge County Sheriff's Office, only minor injuries were reported, however many of the buildings in Juneau suffered.
Some houses had roofs torn off, while others had large trees fall into the structure.
One mom says despite the damage, she's proud to say her small town has a big heart when it comes to supporting each other in times like this.
“These guys, with their excavator, took care of our front tree in like five minutes. He had it done, it was amazing. Everybody’s just out helping everybody, it’s incredible," said neighbor Lana Tredeau.
Football coaches and athletes also lent a hand with cleanup efforts. The Dodgeland School District said school was canceled Friday, so students, staff, and families came together to cut branches and move trees.
Several officials were also in the area Friday surveying the damage, including members of the National Weather Service and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.
Outside of Juneau, we're following the aftermath of major storms across Wisconsin.
It was supposed to be an exciting weekend for Aubrey Thom and Coleson Fiore for a different reason.
“It didn’t look real. It’s like, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Thom. “You couldn’t see out because the wind was so strong and the rain was so strong and that’s when I kinda knew it was time to go in the basement.”
The Mayville High School seniors were getting ready for graduation rehearsal, but something bigger came into town. Reports of a tornado made its way through Dodge County, impacting homes in Mayville, including Fiore’s.
“Not going to be using the front door for a while,” said Fiore. “We hear this huge crash and then we look outside the window.”
A tree fell onto his front door. Two homes down, a garage roof ripped right off.
“Last night we had like 30 people with chainsaws all over this thing and it’s already a lot more cleared up than it was,” said Fiore. “That’s the worst of it and nobody got hurt.”
While there’s immense cleanup to undergo, the seniors say in times like this, community shows up for one another. It’s a lesson this graduating class says it’ll remember when they walk across the stage, Sunday.
“Everyone has each other’s back,” said Thom.