The Germantown Village Board on Monday ratified a proclamation declaring a state of emergency after a historic rainfall and ensuing floods that officials said dropped about 10.5 inches of rain on parts of the village and triggered evacuations, rescues and prolonged pumping operations.

Village President Soderbergh opened the meeting by describing “historic rainfall and subsequent flooding” that impacted the community over several days and praised emergency responders and mutual‑aid partners for the response and recovery work. The board unanimously approved a resolution ratifying the emergency declaration, a procedural step required by state statute after an executive declares an emergency.

The board then received a joint briefing from police, fire, public works and the sewer utility about the event and the response. Police Chief Martin reported the department received 237 total calls during the incident, 92 of which were weather related, and described rescues of motorists and a case in which an officer helped a resident in labor get to a hospital when other mutual‑aid resources did not arrive. Fire and emergency personnel evacuated residents in the Rivers Bend neighborhood, and the departments reported one confirmed fatality tied to a suspected carbon monoxide incident.

Tim Zimmerman, sewer utility superintendent, described extensive pumping and bypass efforts to protect lift stations and prevent sanitary sewer backups. Zimmerman said crews ran a sequence of sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) bypasses and later deployed large pumps at Lift 6 and other locations; one pumping engine operated for more than 64 hours at about 1,500 gallons per minute, yielding roughly 5.8 million gallons pumped at that single location, and the sewer operation reported multiple SSO bypass events with combined bypass volumes in the millions of gallons. Zimmerman said the village notified the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and other downstream agencies as required when bypass pumping began.

Public works superintendent Scott Anderson described rapid deployment of highway and parks crews, emergency repairs, barricade and traffic control work, and a volunteer‑style operation to build temporary dikes using compost, straw bales and sandbags to protect a critical lift station on County Line Road. He said the highway and parks crews also coordinated debris collection and partnered with Waste Management on limited bulky‑item pick up.

Village Administrator Steve Kraklow and staff briefed the board on damage‑assessment work and potential state and federal aid. Kraklow said village staff, SafeBuilt inspectors and Washington County emergency management have together completed hundreds of damage assessments: as of the morning of the briefing staff had logged 634 assessments, with 28 homes categorized as having major damage, 285 with minor damage, and 231 affected. Preliminary estimates of public‑property damage totaled roughly $485,000 across categories including debris removal, emergency protective measures, roads and bridges, buildings and utilities; staff said that estimate is likely to change as more information comes in and that FEMA inspection and reimbursement processes could take months.

Kraklow also told the board the water utility detected coliform in raw well samples and E. coli at one well; distribution samples (treated water in the village system) did not show contamination. The utility shut down the affected well, increased disinfectant levels, and flushed hydrants while continuing additional testing. Officials urged private‑well owners to test their own wells and said they would consult an aquifer expert and the DNR before returning the well to service.

The board asked staff to continue work with Washington County Emergency Management and Wisconsin Emergency Management on damage reports and on scheduling potential FEMA inspections. Village officials also said they will prepare an after‑action report and lessons‑learned review of the multi‑agency response.

The presentation emphasized cooperation among village departments and neighboring jurisdictions, and officials recognized many private donors and businesses that provided food, pumps, boats and other materials during the response. Kraklow and department heads said recovery work — debris pickup, road and park repairs, and utility repairs — would continue for weeks.

The board approved the emergency‑ratification resolution by voice vote. Officials said the declaration enables expedited coordination with county and state emergency managers and begins some administrative steps needed to seek disaster funding.

Residents were reminded that FEMA and state assistance processes are often slow: official inspections and determinations of eligibility may take months, and homeowners should document damage, keep receipts for repairs, and follow village guidance for reporting damage.

"We will be better tomorrow because of what happened this past week," Kraklow said, thanking staff and volunteers for a sustained response.Work on cleanup and damage estimation continues; FEMA visits were expected to be scheduled in the coming days for validation and possible assistance.