Heavy rains cause flooding in Oshkosh

OSHKOSH - Flooded streets were a common scene Thursday morning in Oshkosh. That was the case on Guenther St. on the city’s south side.

• Photos: Severe Weather May 3, 2012

Thomas Lukes parked his car on the street overnight. Now, the UW-Oshkosh student is mopping up the mess.

"About 3 o'clock, my alarm started going off, my car alarm and I was like, 'What the heck?!' And so I ended up having to come out here and disconnect the battery and everything and you can see where the water was up to the speakers on the inside,” said Lukes.

The rains also affected Lukes' classmates.

Some classes in UW-Oshkosh's Halsey Science Center were canceled. Several inches of water flooded three lower-level lecture halls.

University spokesman Alex Hummel says a few other buildings on the riverfront campus sustained minor damage.

Flood waters also soaked basements.

Tarah Kanak says she woke up around 6:30 in the morning and found several inches of water in her finished basement.

"The paint bottles were floating,” said Kanak. "Here, all of the electrical appliances were under water."

She says the material things can be easily fixed or replaced. However, replacing pictures and other keepsakes will be the tough part.

"I'm more worried about the stuff I can't replace, like pictures and stuff like that. And I'm more worried about that. I mean some of this stuff we might be able to save, I'm hoping,” said Kanak.

Oshkosh city manager Mark Rohloff urges residents to stay out of blockaded streets, especially as more rain is expected.

"We're updating our website with street closures,” said Rohloff. “If you see barricades up, even though there may not be water there, please respect those because we expect that as it rains again, we'll still need to be able to protect the public from those."

• Click here to view an updated list of flooded streets and areas to avoid

Rohloff also urges residents to be careful when cleaning up. Appliances and live electrical outlets could be under water.

To report street flooding, minor basement flooding or sewer backup issues in Oshkosh, call (920) 236-5172.