That Wisconsin House Vs. River Video

By popular demand, here is the video of that house falling into the river this week in Wisconsin (including a still photo, video of other houses floating downstream and aerial shots). I think the really interesting thing here is that Lake Delton was drained into the Wisconsin River when the bank was breached - check out the aerial shots of boats sitting around in the mud near the end of the video. Needless to say, resorts on the lakes have received a few cancellations. According to the Chicago Tribune, if the river is diverted back into the lake, it could be refilled in two weeks, but moving the river into position may get caught in government red tape.

Details on the lake's breach can be found here and place the drainage between 4 AM and 2 PM Monday; you can see the graph of the nearby downstream USGS river gauge below.

VIDEO SCRIPT: Some houses in Wisconsin have fallen into a river and are floating downstream. The earthen dam at Lake Delton near the Wisconsin Dells gave way, sending water from the Wisconsin River all over the place. The water washed away much of the land along the shore. When that land gave way, at least four houses tumbled into the water and started floating downstream with the heavy current. Two others are said to be in danger of falling in as well. A county highway also fell into the rushing floodwater and is now closed. Some areas of Wisconsin got as much as ten inches of rain over the weekend. || A state of emergency has been declared in 29 Wisconsin counties. Gov. Jim Doyle has declared a state of emergency for 30 counties due to severe storms and flooding. The declaration allows Wisconsin's Adjutant General Don Dunbar to activate National Guard troops to assist the affected counties as necessary. Flooding in the Wisconsin Dells. Authorities say water near the dam re-channeled and flooded the area causing some homes and roads to fall in the water.

Below is an Associated Press photo:

A home near the 254-acre Lake Delton in Lake Delton, Wisconsin was damaged when flood waters breached the bank and drained the lake Monday, June 9, 2008. Floodwater washed away three houses and threatened dams in Wisconsin as military crews joined desperate sandbagging operations to hold back Indiana streams surging toward record levels. (AP Photo/Wisconsin State Journal, Steve Apps)