Firefighters had to use boats to rescue people from rushing water in Pepin County. The small town of Arkansaw got 7.34 inches overnight. The rain flooded several homes and businesses and washed away a park.

Friday night, people are cleaning up and regrouping after Thursday’s storms. Unfortunately, no one we talked to had flood insurance because they say they're not in the flood plain.

"I woke up to my son screaming in the basement,” Gina Tomlinson tells us.

Tomlinson says within an hour of that first scream, she and her 20-year-old son were in a fire rescue boat; their front lawn a lake, their basement under five feet of water. What's left is a muddy, muddy mess.

"There's nothing salvageable down here,” she says standing four inches of sludge.

The water shoved all of her furniture to one side of the basement. Everything is soaking wet.

Outside, the water lifted Tomlinson's garage and there's no sign of her 500 gallon propane tank. She says she could smell the gas as the fire fighters took her to safety; away from the house she's been trying to sell for a year.

"I just kept thinking ‘they’re just things,’” she says. "The current was just unbelievable. I'm very grateful to our volunteer fire department because they left their families to come help us."

Less than a mile up the road, rescuers used a rope to guide LuAnn Wood through her flooded front lawn. She says the water didn't reach into her mobile home, but her garage was flooded and her car is full of water.

"I could hear this roaring and I just thought it was the storm. Then, (my dog) started barking and I turned on the porch light and the whole backyard was covered with water,” Wood says. “The good thing is no one got hurt. All of this can be cleaned up."

Some of the most visible damage can be seen in Arkansaw Creek Park where bridges were pulled down stream. There’s an empty sandy area where a jungle gym used to be. The high water mark is at least 100 feet back from the creek.

"I can't believe it took that heavy stuff-- bridges and just wiped it away to nothing," says Kyle Komro.

Komro was one of the many townsfolk drawn to the park. Many came with cameras in hand wanting to see the damage first hand. Everyone was in awe of the raging creek and what it could've done.

"I’ve seen it up a little bit, maybe a foot. But, not like this. My God, another two to three feet and everything would be flooded,” Komro says. “I tell you, it's going to take a lot of people in the community to get this cleaned up. But, we'll get 'er done.”

The Pepin County Sheriff's Department says it had no reports of any injuries. Highway crews were out repairing the damage and some roads were closed. The health department and Red Cross are also helping people who need it.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A sheriff's department says it had to evacuate several families in the Village of Arkansaw near Durand because of flooding there.

A Pepin County Sheriff's Department dispatcher says he had yet to hear any reports of injuries in several flood-related incidents. He says crews evacuated at least 3 or 4 families.

The dispatcher also says around 3:15 this morning, a culvert either plugged or broke, sending water rushing into a yard and inside a home. The department says the most serious flooding happened along 'F' Street. It says several feet of water gathered there. A dispatcher says the area received between 6 and 7 inches of rain overnight. He says the rising water also carried a 500-gallon LP tank away from the village.

The National Weather Service is also reporting that Osseo got 3.4 inches of rain and Mondovi got 3.86 inches. About 2.5 inches fell at WEAU 13 News. Two WEAU 13 News viewers called to report large trees down on their properties west of Rock Falls.

WEAU 13 News had a crew in Arkansaw- watch at 5 and 6 today for updates. Click here to send us your storm video or photos. We'll put them online and on air!

STORM REPORTS:

Arkansaw (Pepin County) Law Enforcement units and Fire are being requested on scene to help with torrential rain and flooding. Reports of flooding along Franklin street, and trees down.

Maiden Rock (Pierce County) Dispatch has received reports of a few roads closed by high water across the southern part of the county. Mudslide reported along Highway A between State Road 35 and US Highway 10.

Ellsworth (Pierce County) Trained spotter reported heavy rain. Also reported standing water in farm fields and on US Highway 10 out of Ellsworth.

Ella (Pepin County) Law enforcement reports mudslide on County Road N near Ella has closed the road.