Latest news with #AngelaRogers
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Beyond the Forecast: What are ‘Fire Weather Watches' and ‘Red Flag Warnings'?
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Over the weekend, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) upgraded the fire danger risk for numerous counties across the state, including placing Langlade and northern Marinette counties under an 'extreme' fire danger classification. That shift in risk level was quickly followed by the National Weather Service issuing a Fire Weather Watch, which was later elevated to a Red Flag Warning for 21 counties in total. 21 northern Wisconsin counties under warning from DNR face extreme wildfire conditions But what do these alerts mean? 'Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches are a fire prevention tool to increase public awareness of the conditions and to assist in preventing human-caused fires,' explained Angela Rogers, the DNR's Oconto Falls team leader. 'Extreme fire danger is defined as explosive conditions, which is the worst possible fire danger that we can have here.' Several weather and environmental factors go into determining wildfire risk. Among them: dry ground from limited rainfall, low relative humidity levels below 25%, strong surface winds above 50 miles per hour, and temperatures warmer than 75 degrees. When these conditions align, Rogers urges the public to be extremely careful with any activity that could ignite a fire. 'What the public can do is avoid any burning — we really recommend not starting any fires,' said Rogers. 'Be cautious when mowing the lawn, using equipment such as chainsaws, smoking, grilling, or disposing of ashes. Make sure everything is out. In these windy, dry conditions, it's easy to spark a fire.' In a press release, the Wisconsin DNR said they responded to 100 wildfires in the past week alone, many in northern Wisconsin. That spike in fire activity led officials to raise the risk level from 'very high' to 'extreme.' The National Weather Service told Local 5 News that Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches remain rare. Since 2006, the NWS has issued just 21 Red Flag Warnings and 16 Fire Weather Watches for the region. Although areas such as Green Bay, the Fox Cities, and the lakeshore are not currently in the 'extreme' category, they are still classified under 'high' or 'very high' risk levels. Rogers said that even those areas should take the alerts seriously. 'It's not a bad idea to be extra cautious. Understand that in these elevated conditions, fires will start and spread very rapidly,' Rogers said. Green Bay fire and police teams work together to rescue baby raccoons Dry marshlands and invasive phragmites are especially vulnerable, but even fast-burning green grass fires are becoming more frequent. Residents are encouraged to stay updated on current fire conditions and local burn regulations by visiting the Wisconsin DNR's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Water woes: Upstate woman gets $1,600 bill
(WSPA) – All of us are staring down some higher bills after the cold blast we saw this month. But what about the times when your water or electricity usage spikes because of a leak or malfunction? In this 7NEWS Consumer Exclusive, the soggy saga of an Upstate woman's water bill woes. Angela Rogers is the type of person who doesn't get riled about much. But it didn't take long for water issues at her Jonesville home to come to a boiling point. 'Now this is what you're not going to believe. Check out these bills,' Rogers said showing us bills that jumped first to $475 then $984 then more than $1600. 'I can't pay that, no way,' she said. While her usage began to rise in July she had no clue until her bill came in August. Even as she tried to pay what she could, she didn't realize, as billing cycles go, her next bill was already doubling. She said it was disturbing that Rocky Creek Water, a rural cooperative in Jonesville, never called her to warn her something was wrong. 'My normal water bill was $25 a month. Before it got to $400 I would have appreciated a heads up,' Rogers said. Lisa Oliphant, with Spartanburg Water, said the norm in the industry, especially with digital meters, is for water companies to contact customers as soon as they notice an unusual spike. 'Normally what we do is we try to email them. If we don't get a response back, try to call them personally and then we will send an email to them, and if that does not trigger a response then we will send a letter to their home.' Like many homeowners, Rogers didn't realize she was responsible for any pipes going from the meter to her house. The water company is only responsible for the pipes going from the meter to the mainline. As Rogers paid to get the leak repaired, she hoped Rocky Creek would reduce her bill back down to normal usage. 7NEWS reached out to several major water providers in the Upstate and learned most, from Easley to Spartanburg, are quite forgiving. 'We can track it and see how many gallons of water it was, it's now repaired and they'll go back to the day that it started and they'll credit you for the days that it was leaking…You're not going to pay for that water that was leaking,' Oliphant said. Other utilities, like electric, won't likely forgive a spike for a malfunction, but they will offer payment plans and some may also qualify for community assistance. Ryan Mosier, Spokesman for Duke Energy, said their app is a great way to track your own usage, and he highly recommends whether via the app or via email, customers sign up for 'usage alerts.' 'If customers are signed up for the usage alert, that is a mid-month/end-of-month type of notification that shows you where you are at compared to your previous usage, and so when you look at that notice you can go, something seems a little off here,' Mosier said. Rogers now knows the importance of staying on top of her usage. And while Rocky Creek did reduce the bill to just shy of one thousand dollars, she remains hopeful the company will make more adjustments knowing they also could have done a better job informing her. 'Why would you let it get beyond $25, $50 even $50, you know it's normally $25 a month, so at some point you gotta think, you know there's got to be a leak on that property.' After Rocky Creek staff declined an interview and failed to connect us with a board member, 7NEWS managed to reach the Vice President the night before the air date who assured us they would 'make it right' with Rogers. They also promptly invited her to speak at this week's board meeting. Look for an update to this story when 7NEWS learns more. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
