(NECN/WKOW: Portage, Wisconsin) - A state of emergency is in effect in parts of Wisconsin, where a levee failed causing near-record flooding.
Homes in Columbia County which is in the southern part of the state are in danger.
The county's Emergency Operations Center says a 120-year-old sand levee failed along the Wisconsin River.
State officials call this levee a "relic," noting that modern levees are built with steel and concrete.
Authorities began evacuating people Sunday to a Red Cross shelter, as heavy rainfall and storms pushed the levee to collapse.
In the town of Portage, the river is now expected to remain above flood stage through Wednesday.
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