Introduction, Location and Organization – Viola and Wisconsin Emergency Management

My placement this summer will provide support to rural communities in West Central, Wisconsin. The majority of my work involves long-term flood mitigation planning for the community of Viola, Wisconsin. This work will be performed on behalf of the Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) Division of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), based in Madison, Wisconsin. The community served is made up of just under 700 people, in an area often described as the Kickapoo River Valley. The Kickapoo River, directly adjacent to Viola, has flooded the Village on multiple occasions, with increasing regularity and severity over the past decade.