Recovery efforts are on the way after a tornado went through the Menasha area on July 27, 2027. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Municipal leaders from Menasha, the city of Neenah, town of Neenah, Fox Crossing and Winnebago County answered questions from residents impacted by last week’s tornado in a town hall on Thursday.
The city answered questions on debris cleanup, uninhabitable homes and how it’s funding recovery efforts, among others.
Leaders received the most questions on debris cleanup, as residents navigate around downed trees, power lines and building materials.
“We have over 12 crews working right now,” said Fox Crossing Village Manager Jeff Sturgill. “So we’re making progress.”
They’re asking residents to create separate piles for organic material (like trees) and inorganic materials that come from buildings or inside homes, if possible.
“Our contractors are working their buns off to get all this material out to our staging areas,” said Town of Neenah Chairman Bob Schmeichel. “I realize sometimes the fences are commingled into the tree material, but when they pick that up and put it into something, they can’t even put it into the chippers.”
In Menasha, crews are working from the Jefferson Park area and out, first taking care of the hardest hit areas. Neenah has crews working from west to east.
“Some of these piles are quite high,” said City of Neenah Mayor Brian Borchardt. “We want to make sure that people are seeing around corners and making sure people have access, since some of the roads become very narrow. So we’re trying to focus on some of that as well.”
Mayor Austin Hammond of Menasha estimates it will take at least one or two more weeks until all the debris is cleared from the streets and off the curbs. The city estimates at least 100 homes are currently uninhabitable.
“That’s going to be ongoing for awhile,” said Hammond, indicating more could be deemed unsafe to enter.
The municipalities hope to receive state and federal aid for recovery efforts, but even if approved it could take three months before funding is approved. Additional local taxpayer funds may be needed.
“Some of it’s going to be a reallocation of funds for things we might no longer be doing and just re-prioritizing it,” said Hammond. “Some of it, if need be, would be finding some temporary loan and things of that nature.”
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