TODAY, GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER MET WITH CABINET MEMBERS IN ASHLAND TO CONTINUE EMERGENCY RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THOSE IMPACTED BY DEADLY STORMS IN THE AREA EARLIER THIS WEEK. THE GOVERNOR DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN EIGHT NORTHERN WISCONSIN COUNTIES AFTER HEAVY RAINS WASHED OUT BRIDGES AND ROADS KILLING THREE PEOPLE. THE BAD RIVER INDIAN RESERVATION WAS ESSENTIALLY DIVIDED IN TWO BY HIGH WATERS THAT SHUT DOWN ACCESS TO THE TRIBAL LODGE AND OTHER BUSINESSES. ON WEDNESDAY TRIBAL MEMBERS IN NEED OF DIALYSIS WERE MEDEVACED BY NATIONAL GUARD HELICOPTER FROM THE RESERVATION TO AN AREA CLINIC. MUCH OF THIS VIDEO FOOTAGE WAS TAKEN BY BAD RIVER STUDENTS WHO WERE ENROLLED IN A UW JOURNALISM WORKSHOP THIS WEEK. THE WEATHER EMERGENCY TURNED A CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE INTO ON-THE-JOB TRAINING.

DONOVAN O'CLAIRE:

I WAS HONESTLY EXPECTING JUST TO BE EDITING VIDEOS, CREATING MUSIC, STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT WHEN THE STORM HIT AND IT CAUSED A CAVE-IN DOWN BY THE ROAD, I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS TO BE ON THE NEWS, RECORDING FOR TWO STATIONS IN MADISON, ONE FOR DULUTH. IT’S DEFINITELY BEEN A WILD RIDE EVER SINCE THAT STORM HIT AND I’M KIND OF HAPPY IT DID.

ZACH OJS:

I WAS EXPECTING TO LEARN HOW TO CREATE PAGES AND EDIT STUFF AND THEN TUESDAY I GOT THE CHANCE TO RECORD FOR THE NEWS AND THAT WAS REALLY FUN TO DO.

WOMAN:

WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF SHOOTING VIDEO?

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

TALKING TO PEOPLE MOSTLY BECAUSE I’M NOT REALLY A TALKATIVE PERSON.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

UW LIFE SCIENCES COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSOR PATTY LOEW NEEDS THAT STUDENT JOURNALISM WORKSHOP AT BAD RIVER. SHE JOINS US NOW. THANKS A LOT FOR BEING HERE. WELCOME BACK.

PATTY LOEW:

DO YOU BELIEVE HOW CONFIDENT OUR TWO YOUNG JOURNALISTS WERE?

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

YOU LOOK VERY PROUD. TELL US ABOUT THIS JOURNALISM WORKSHOP. WHO TAKES PART?

PATTY LOEW:

WELL, WE GO UP TO BAD RIVER. WE’VE BEEN ON OTHER RESERVATIONS AS WELL, BUT THE LAST TWO YEARS AND THIS YEAR WE’RE AT BAD RIVER. IT’S A BALDWIN-FUNDED GRANT PROJECT, ALSO FUNDED BY THE MORGRIDGE CENTER. KIDS LEARN WED DESIGN AND VIDEO DESIGN, MUSIC COMPOSITION, EDITING. THIS YEAR WE WERE SUPPOSED TO FOCUS ON FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND GARDENING AND THEN 11 INCHES OF RAIN AND BRIDGES WASHED OUT AND COLLAPSED ROADS AND SUCH. SO WE PIVOTED AND THE KIDS STARTED SHOOTING FLOODING VIDEO.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO DESCRIBE HOW THEY JUMPED INTO THAT.

PATTY LOEW:

WELL, NORMALLY WE HAVE TEN STUDENTS WITH US FOR EACH OF THESE WEEKS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE FLOOD, THERE WERE ONLY TWO STUDENTS THAT WERE ABLE TO GET TO US.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

OKAY.

PATTY LOEW:

DONOVAN AND ZACH, WHO YOU MET EARLIER. AND THEY WERE REALLY INTERESTED IN JOINING US TO SHOOT FLOOD VIDEO. AND WE THOUGHT, WELL, HERE’S A GREAT LEARNING OPPORTUNITY. AND DONOVAN, WOW, WHAT A CONFIDENT YOUNG MAN. HE WAS DOING STAND-UPS AND — I GUESS HE DIDN’T KNOW ENOUGH TO BE — TO FEEL AWKWARD OR INTIMIDATED BECAUSE HE WAS ABSOLUTELY A NATURAL. AND ZAC WAS A QUICK LEARNER.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT WERE YOU EXPERIENCING IN THE MIDST OF THOSE STORMS?

PATTY LOEW:

YOU KNOW, IT’S DIFFICULT BECAUSE I’M A BAD RIVER TRIBAL MEMBER, TOO, AND SO THERE WAS PART OF ME THAT HAD THE JOURNALIST BRAIN THAT WAS KICKING IN THINKING ABOUT WHAT DO WE NEED TO SHOOT, WHERE SHOULD THIS INFORMATION GO, WHAT STATIONS CAN WE HELP BECAUSE AT ONE POINT BAD RIVER WAS REALLY AN ISLAND. YOU COULDN’T GO EAST OR WEST OR NORTH OR SOUTH FROM THE RESERVATION. AND WE DID HAVE INTERNET ACCESS FOR A WHILE. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO UPLOAD VIDEO AND WE WERE TRYING TO HELP LOCAL TV STATIONS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

TELL ME ABOUT THE RESERVATION AND THE PEOPLE THERE AND WHAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCING.

PATTY LOEW:

WELL, PEOPLE COULDN’T GET TO WORK, SO THAT MEANT THE CASINO AND THE LODGE COULDN’T OPEN. THERE WAS A GAS RUPTURE. THE SANITARY SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM WAS MAXED OUT. AND HERE YOU SEE PEOPLE — THAT BRIDGE IS OUT OF COMMISSION. IT’S THE MAIN BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS THE RESERVATION TO ASHLAND. AND SO PEOPLE ARE COLLECTING SUPPLIES. THERE WERE A LOT OF AREA BUSINESSES THAT WERE COLLECTING SUPPLIES ON ONE SIDE OF THE BRIDGE AND WALKING THEM, BECAUSE IT WASN’T POSSIBLE TO GET A VEHICLE OVER THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE IS GOVERNMENT ROAD, AND THAT IS A MAIN ROAD INTO THE THIRD LARGEST NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE RESERVATION. THOSE PEOPLE NEEDED TO BE EVACUATED, AND THEY WERE, TO ASHLAND AREA HOTELS, WHERE THEY’RE BEING TEMPORARILY HOUSED.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

CLEARLY VERY DANGEROUS ALL OVER THAT REGION WITH THESE HIGHWAYS OUT AND BRIDGES OUT AND THIS HIGH WATER AND APPARENTLY THERE ARE STORMS FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND.

PATTY LOEW:

THAT’S RIGHT. MORE RAIN PREDICTED FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. AS WITH ANY DISASTER, COMMUNITY PEOPLE WERE REALLY COMING TOGETHER. THERE’S SOME TREMENDOUS PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR BAD RIVER SOCIAL SERVICES WHO ARE ORGANIZING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE STRANDED, ORGANIZED THE NATIONAL GUARD HELICOPTER TO MEDEVAC OUT THE DIALYSIS PATIENTS. THE CONSERVATION PEOPLE AND THE FIRST RESPONDERS WERE OUT REALLY MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE WHO WERE IN FLOODED-OUT AREAS HAD BASIC SERVICES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT’S THE WORD NOW? HAVE THE SERVICES BEEN RESTORED?

PATTY LOEW:

GAS HAS BEEN RESTORED AND ELECTRICITY IS NOW BACK UP. BUT THERE’S TREMENDOUS CLEAN-UP. AND A LOT OF THAT IS REALLY A HEALTH ISSUE. AND SO WHEN WE LEFT, THERE WERE MEETINGS WITH THE INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT MEDICAL ISSUES WITH TRIBAL PEOPLE WHO NEEDED MEDICAL HELP. THE STATE EMERGENCY SERVICES PEOPLE WERE THERE TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE FEMA PROCESS, BECAUSE THE NEXT STEP IS DOING ALL THAT PAPERWORK TO APPLY FOR DISASTER AID.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. WE LEAVE IT THERE. PATTY LOEW, THANKS VERY MUCH AND THANKS FOR TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION.

PATTY LOEW:

THANK YOU.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MORE RAIN IS IN THE FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND AS WE MENTIONED. FOR UPDATES ON STORM DAMAGE AND ROAD CLOSURES YOU CAN GO TO READY WISCONSIN THAT WEB PAGE.