Cloudbusting

You may have noticed the big red banner on the top of the site. Most of the area is under a flood watch for heavy rain starting in the next few hours and running through the night.  Many of us can expect 2-4 inches of rain tonight, with small areas getting more. There may also be gusty winds as the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal co Ime over. Hang tight, it's just another trial in our lives this week. But be careful. We just received the following notice about park closures on the Chippewa River:

At 10 a.m. the Chippewa River gauge at Grand Avenue read 760 feet, which is 13 feet below the flood stage reading of 773 feet.  

The National Weather Service has projected the Chippewa River to rise to 766 feet later this week.  As the river rises it will enter our Action stage and the following safety measures can be expected along the lowest lying areas of the Chippewa River Trail.

For the safety of residents, the following areas are closed effective tomorrow, June 10:
• Chippewa River Trail - behind the UW-Eau Claire Fine Arts Building 
• Chippewa River Trail - at the boat landing behind Hobbs Ice Arena

The City will continue to monitor the river closely and additional areas of the trail system will be closed as necessary for safety.   

What Residents Can Do

Stay Safe

When rivers are at an increased level they can contain debris and generate currents that are stronger, faster, and more unpredictable than normal which makes recreational use of the river unsafe. 


Stay Informed

Sign up for Rave Alerts – a free service that will provide emergency messages for Eau Claire County, the City of 
Eau Claire, and the City of Altoona to you via text, recorded message, email, or all three.  To register visit GetRave.com/login/Eau-Claire and click “Register” in the upper right of the site. 

Get email updates through the City of Eau Claire website at EauClaireWI.gov. Under “Our City” look for e-Notifications.

Further information is available by contacting the City of Eau Claire, Department of Community Services 715-839-4649.  

This is the perfect excuse to include one of my favorite Kate Bush videos. It's only peripherally about rain, and more about the fallibility of governments and adults, which may make it more worth listening to and watching right now. Yes, that is Donald Sutherland as Wilhem Riech, in a video conceived by Terry Gilliam.