Evacuations Ordered, Person Found Dead in Wisconsin Floods; Emergency Declared

Hours of heavy rainfall triggered flooding in parts of southern Wisconsin Tuesday morning, triggering evacuations after nearly a foot of rain fell.

Dane County officials said they've recovered the body of a man who was swept away by floodwaters Monday night, Madison.com reported. The body was found in a retention pond during an exhaustive search that lasted several hours Tuesday morning.

The Madison Fire Department said witnesses saw the victim, whose identity has not been released, get pulled under his vehicle by the strong current near Chapel Hill and Regis roads in western Madison at about 9 p.m. local time; two others inside the vehicle were able to make it to safety, the Associated Press reported.

"The occupants of the stalled vehicle exited in swift water and one person has been reported missing," said a news release. "Fire department personnel are on the scene continuing to search for the missing individual."

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According to WMTV, residents were ordered to evacuate in the town of Black Earth, west of Madison, early Tuesday morning. Additional evacuations were reported in Cross Plains and Mazomanie, Madison.com reported.

A media advisory said all roads in and around Cross Plains were closed Tuesday morning, because of flooding, and travelers were asked to stay away from the town. Authorities said first responders performed dozens of water rescues overnight as people got stuck in floodwaters on submerged roads in several towns, Madison.com reported.