MADISON, Wis. -- Gov. Jim Doyle has declared La Crosse and Sauk counties as disaster areas following storms and flooding earlier this week.

READ: Emergency Officials Monitor Area Dams In Flood Zone READ: Gay Mills Residents Return After Flooding | READ: Emergency Officials Keep Close Eye On Gotham | VIDEO: Gays Mills Residents Return Home After Weekend Flooding | VIDEO: Officials Monitor Area Dams | UPLOAD: Share Video Of Storm | UPLOAD: Share Photos Of Storm | TALKBACK: Experiencing Flooding? | INTERACTIVE: Information About Flooding | SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 1) | SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 2) | SLIDESHOW:See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 3) | SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 4) | SLIDESHOW: See Viewers' Flooding Photos (Vol. 5)

Doyle said that the Town of Shelby in La Crosse might have suffered the most damage as a result of multiple mudslides.

He said that La Crosse County has about $6.5 million in damage to private property, roads and infrastructure. He said that Sauk County has more than $1 million in damage to private property and agriculture.

Doyle had declared Crawford, Vernon and Richland counties state disaster areas on Sunday.

He said that the Wisconsin National Guard is standing by, ready to help and to loan engineering equipment to help clear roads.

On Monday, National Guard soldiers and emergency assessment crews traveled through Virouqa, Gays Mills and Soldier's Grove -- three areas hit especially hard by the flooding -- to assist relief efforts and assess damage.

Doyle toured portions of the area on Monday and said that emergency teams were worried about the integrity of some area dams. During his tour, Doyle examined a road in Soldier's Grove that had partially collapsed and ventured into Gays Mills' evacuated downtown. Doyle said that it's awe-inspiring to see how much damage had been caused in such a short amount of time. He also commended the emergency response teams' efforts, which he called extraordinary, WISC-TV reported.

"It's really awe-inspiring almost to see how much damage has been done and what this water has done," Doyle said. "We've really seen in these counties that everyone pulled together. Everybody knew what they were supposed to do. They were well-drilled."

The flooding was caused by consistent heavy rainfall -- 16 inches of rain fell in some areas of the state -- that began this past weekend and continued on and off into Monday. The flooding forced evacuations, caused mudslides, knocked a train off its tracks, damaged homes and washed out numerous roads and bridges. The floodwaters were being blamed for millions of dollars worth of damage. Officials said that there were no reports of serious injuries, WISC-TV reported.

Officials said that up to a foot of rain fell on Saturday and early Sunday in southwestern Wisconsin. The National Weather Service said that up to another 4 inches fell late Sunday and early Monday, but less than 1.5 inches of precipitation was recorded in much of that area during that period.

Wisconsin Emergency Management spokeswoman Lori Getter said on Sunday the hardest-hit areas were in Crawford, Grant, La Crosse, Richland and Vernon counties.

Damage estimates from flooding in southwestern Wisconsin has now topped $30 million, according to officials. They said that the damage in Vernon County has soared past $14 million, is about $14 million in Crawford County and is about $8 million in Richland County, WISC-TV reported.

Floodwaters Slowly Recede In Gays Mills

Floodwaters are slowly receding in southwestern Wisconsin on Tuesday, but concern remains about the possibility of additional rain during the next few days.

Weekend thunderstorms turned the countryside in Vernon, Crawford and Richland counties into swamps and lakes, drowning crops, eroding bluffs and straining dams nearly to the breaking point. Hundreds of people were evacuated from Gays Mills, but no injuries were reported.

About 200 homes were underwater this weekend in the Crawford County town. The muddy water also swallowed numerous cars and trucks. Many longtime residents compared this devastation to the worst flooding in village history, WISC-TV reported.

Some residents were being allowed back into their homes on Monday to try to salvage some of their belongings.

Village trustee Mike Heisz said that some people are being allowed to go into their homes if they don't have to walk through water to get there. He said that they can take only what they can carry, and they can't stay.

When Doyle visited earlier on Monday, he saw knee-deep water on the village's Main Street.

Village president Larry McCarn described for Doyle how firefighters went door to door in the early hours to warn residents as the water rose. Some homes got as much as 4 feet of water in them.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rod Swerman of La Crosse said that light rain of a quarter inch or less fell in the region overnight. He said that there was little precipitation on Tuesday morning, but a flash flood watch is in the forecast on Tuesday night and Wednesday, with a chance of rain through Friday.

DOT Officials Announce Area Road Closures

Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials said on Monday several area highways were closed because of local flooding, washouts or debris on the roadway. They said that drivers are urged to stay off the roads until further notice.

They include:

State Highway 35, La Crosse and Vernon counties
State Highway 56 at Highway 82, Vernon County
State Highway 56 from Richland Center to Viola, Richland County
State Highway 58 from U.S. Highway 14 to Ithaca, Richland County
State Highway 58, south of La Valle, Sauk County
State Highway 60 from Crawford County line to Port Andrew
State Highway 80 from Hillsboro south to county line, Vernon County
State Highway 80, north of Richland Center to Vernon County line, Richland County
State Highway 130, south of Highway 154, Sauk County
State Highway 130, Bear Creek, Richland County
State Highway 131, Viola to La Farge, Richland County
State Highway 131, Steuben to Soldiers Grove, Crawford County
State Highway 136, north of Rock Springs, Sauk County
State Highway 154, east of Highway 23, Sauk County
State Highway 162 at Stoddard to Coon Valley, Vernon County
State Highway 171 at Gays Mills, Crawford County
State Highway 171 at Boaz, Richland County
State Highway 179 at Steuben, Crawford County

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