The Wisconsin National Guard is delivering approximately 10,000 sandbags to Trempealeau County today in advance of severe thunderstorms that could cause additional flooding in the area.

Heavy rains soaked western Wisconsin July 19 causing flooding across a wide swath of the state, but more flooding is expected with heavy rain forecasted for the region Friday. The sandbags are intended to assist local authorities as they brace for rising floodwaters.

Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency for Buffalo, Crawford, Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Monroe, Pepin, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Trempealeau, and Vernon Counties in western Wisconsin Friday, which authorizes Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, to call Wisconsin National Guard troops to state active duty to assist local authorities as needed.

Full-time Airmen from the Wisconsin Air National Guard delivered the sandbags, and no Wisconsin National Guard troops have been called to state active duty at this time.

“As Wisconsin’s first military responder in times of emergency, the Wisconsin National Guard stands ready to assist local authorities with additional resources, if needed,” Dunbar said.

Walker, Dunbar, Brian Satula, the administrator for Wisconsin Emergency Management, and Kurt Thiede, the deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, all travelled to Arcadia, Wisconsin and Ontario, Wisconsin, Friday morning to assess flood damage and meet with local emergency management officials.