August 06, 2026

Public power utility crews aid Menasha after devastating tornado

Member Utilities

Lineworkers from 16 WPPI Energy member utilities have been assisting the hardworking crews of fellow member, Menasha Utilities, after a devastating EF-3 tornado swept through the city at the end of July. In the week that followed, crews successfully helped restore electricity for more than 80% of area customers.

WPPI Energy President and CEO Mike Peters visited the city a week after the tornado swept through, seeing the power poles that had been sheared in half lying on the ground and the homes and public infrastructure that were destroyed in its wake. He also saw that so much had already been rebuilt in the days that followed the destruction, calling the amount of work completed, “striking” against the sight of the substantial damage.

“Despite long days and nonstop work, everyone was focused on solving problems and getting the lights back on for residents of Menasha,” Peters said. “Roughly 80 lineworkers from neighboring communities were on site to help, with other utilities offering materials and supplies. It really is a testament to the strength of joint action that WPPI members were able to be an impactful part of this rebuilding effort.”

After the tornado hit a central part of the community July 27, Gov. Tony Evers declared the area in a state of emergency. Debris continued to hamper restoration efforts as crews arriving through mutual aid started to make progress repairing and restoring the electricity infrastructure. Roads were unpassable as more than 60 power line poles snapped in half, electric wires, tree limbs and materials from damaged homes and buildings needed to be cleared before crews could assess the extent of the damage and begin to restore power.

Mutual aid crews from neighboring utilities hopped in trucks and made their way to the area. It began with a few, then grew to more than a dozen as crews began to set down new poles. Power began to come back on for some customers.

A week after the tornado hit, there were roughly 80 lineworkers from more than two dozen public power communities who had been contributing their help with restoration. And the hard work could be seen, as power was restored to 90% of the area and to 80% of Menasha Utilities customers.

“Everyone out here takes pride in their work,” said Steve Grenell, engineering manager for Menasha Utilities, noting the crews out in the field working to help move debris and restore power. “They don’t want to go home until the lights are back on.”

Cleanup is still expected to take weeks. Long-term damage will mean months of work. The city’s water filtration treatment plant was severely damaged and will take some time to either be fixed or replaced.

The entire community has been doing what it can to support one another, providing resources for those who may have lost their home or need water or food. Menasha Utilities General Manager Melanie Krause said they want to extend their thanks to everyone providing help.

“We are beyond grateful to have our public power partners here to help make sense of the damage and what immediately needed to be done, in addition to what still needs to be done here,” Krause said. “We can’t say thank you enough to all those who have responded and continue to support us.”