BARABOO, Wis. -- Thursday's storms produced flooding of historic proportions that wreaked havoc on the city of Baraboo.

VIDEO: Watch The Report

Area residents were left reeling by the vast amounts of water and now have to pick up the pieces as the floodwaters subside. Residents and emergency management officials in Sauk County were starting to move toward a recovery effort, WISC-TV reported.

The rains and subsequent flooding on Thursday afternoon and evening left many residents to leave their homes while others attempted to do all they could to keep the water out.

The flooding situation was so dangerous that the amphibious Original Wisconsin Ducks had to get involved to rescue some residents.

Some residents on Water Street in Baraboo said that they're happy to see water receding from what it was the previous night. Most of the area was evacuated as well as parts further south of Baraboo on Highway 113, where the Ducks got involved.

Resident T.J. Howell said that he has been protecting his surrounded house and had to abandon ship on Thursday night.

"It's been this way since probably Tuesday," Howell said. "Who would have ever dreamed it would be this bad? But, we just dug in and we weren't going to give up, but that last storm yesterday just kind of pow! (It) got us good."

Howell said that he felt he was going to be able to pump out all the water seeping into his house form the nearby river, but Thursday's storm proved too much.

"That last storm really pulled her down, man," he said. "It was like we had it all whupped and then, that last storm just came down way too fast."

The Baraboo Fire Department evacuated dozens of people just south of Howell's home, and county officials said that they're not sure how many will need temporary housing . They're working with the Ho-Chunk Nation to find some, WISC-TV reported.

Sauk County Emergency Management said that it will help residents with housing and aid, especially considering the extent the damage. Jeff Jelinek, director of Sauk County Emergency Management, said that he was taken by surprise in terms of how widespread the flooding was.

"I could not believe what I was seeing from the air," he said. "It was very traumatic to see what we have and understand what people are going through."

The flooding was some of the worst damage in an area that was re-constructed after the floods in 1993 and 2000. Tim Stieve, the buildings and safety administrator for Sauk County Emergency Management, said that their work during previous years had apparently protected some residents initially.

"I did have a call from an individual that said a lot of the work that we did at that time in 2000 really made a huge difference during the first portion of this storm," Stieve said. "As far as keeping things under control in that area, this storm last night kind of undid pretty much everything."

Howell said that he's convinced the flooding won't be his undoing even though problems with water seem to be haunting him.

"My other job is up at 'The Tommy Bartlett Show' so imagine going from here where we got too much water," he said. "Then, we go up there and they've got no water. So it's really shocking to go up from here to there. I'm battling two tragedies."

Emergency Management officials said that they've received reports of 900 homes throughout the county that are damaged for a total of more than $19 million in personal property damage. They said that figure is expected to rise.

They said that anyone with damage to report it as it's the best way to get damage reports to Federal Emergency Management Agency or to get any available aid.