After historic floods abruptly stopped or disrupted daily life in parts of Outagamie and Waupaca counties, residents have started cleanup efforts and are slowly returning home.
Some communities have started allowing residents to return home April 22, with more on April 23, after evacuation orders were lifted and water levels started receding.
Classes have also resumed in most school districts that faced significant flooding, with Shiocton looking to see what reopening could look like on April 27.
As towns reopen, We Energies announced it is restoring natural gas to affected homes after part of its natural gas system was disconnected last week temporarily to be safe during severe flooding. As of April 21, We Energies restored service to around 160 customers in Fremont and Shiocton, and customers in New London will start getting reconnected on April 22.
Once natural gas is added back to We Energies’ system, crews will go to each customer’s property to turn service back on at the meter.
To maintain cleanup efforts and prevent residents from getting stuck on roads that remain closed, law enforcement and municipal officials implemented specific entry points to follow.
Here are the entry plans for New London, Fremont, and Shiocton as of April 22.
Fremont
Village officials began allowing residents to reenter at 6 p.m. April 21.
New London
Residents were allowed to start returning to New London at noon April 22.
Shiocton
Residents can return home starting April 23, the village announced on April 21.
Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Residents return to New London and Fremont, Shiocton planned for April 23
Reporting by Benita Mathew, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
