Baldwin speaks with area mayors about flood relief

Local towns hit by flooding aren’t getting enough relief from the government and, what they are getting, isn’t coming fast enough.

That’s what La Crosse area mayors and others told Sen. Tammy Baldwin, during a local listening session about flood response on Friday.

Baldwin says she’s aiming for more “resiliency,” in helping flood victims emerge from disasters better than they were before.

During a listening session at the Black River neighborhood center, Baldwin said too many disaster relief efforts seem to follow a strict set of government rules, “usually, go back to the way it was before.”

The mayors of La Crosse, Gays Mills and Arcadia were among those to tell the Senator that Washington tends to help just enough to restore just what was lost in a flood.

Shelby town chair Tim Candahl says little has been fixed in his community since the latest round of floods in August.

Candahl says a 20-foot wall of water damaged railroad tracks and highways.