Flash Flood, Stephenson
- When
- July 24, 3:00 AM CST to 7:00 AM CST
- Where
- Stephenson County, 1.68 mi ENE of Winneshiek to 2.65 mi S of Lena
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 42.340, -89.520
Heavy rains of about 3 inches in under 3 hours (for a total of about 11 inches in less than 32 hours) resulted in extensive flash flooding during the morning of July 24. The greatest impact was flash flooding of Yellow Creek from Pearl City to Freeport, with additional impacts from flash flooding of the Pecatonica River in and near Freeport.
Local emergency management officials described the flood damage as the worst damage I've seen in 19 years, and many lifelong residents affected by Yellow Creek described it as worse than anything they had ever experienced in their lifetimes.
Forty-three roads in Stephenson County were under water and closed to traffic, including Business Highway 20, Highway 20, and Route 75. Streets in downtown Freeport had as much as 5 to 6 feet of water. Some people who were trapped in flooded vehicles were rescued by boat. In the weeks following the flash flood, more than 20 sink holes developed in Freeport roads. The Stephenson County engineer documented about $1 million in damage to county and township roads.
In Pearl City, about 80 homes were damaged in the flooding of Yellow Creek, and an additional 60 homes in unincorporated portions of the county we also damaged. One Pearl City resident awoke around 3 am CDT to the sound of trickling water to discover his possessions floating in 3 feet of water.
More than 700 homes and countless businesses in Freeport were damaged. Numerous stores in the Southgate Market area were flooded and remained closed for at least 2 weeks, some for as long as 6 weeks. Also affected was the Winneshiek Playhouse, the oldest amateur theater in the United States, which suffered 3 feet of water in its basement. Freeport Fire Station 3 was nearly completely under water and was evacuated due to the flooding. Due to repeated rounds of heavy rain (with nearly a foot of rain measured in less than 48 hours), the Freeport wastewater treatment plant sustained about $1.4 million in damages.