MOUNT MORRIS, Wis. -- The community of Mount Morris knows firsthand what Lake Delton residents face in its restoration effort.

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Mount Morris looks much different today than it did 13 years ago when the lake, located near Wautoma about two hours north of Madison, drained when water washed out the dam and a huge section of land.

Betty and Bob Mueller, local residents who had just settled into retirement, said that they watched as the ground washed out from underneath their home.

"They were working on the dam," said Betty. "They were going to build a new dam."

But Mother Nature put some unexpected strains on the dam.

"We had a lot of rain," said Bob Mueller. "The rain was heavy."

"(The dam) couldn't take the pressure anymore," said Betty Mueller.

The Muellers said they saw the water washed the ground out from under the home they had saved for, leaving their house teetering on a ledge.

Authorities told them they were certain their home would be washed away.

"All I could think of is, 'I'm losing the house,'" said Betty Mueller.

Luckily for the Muellers, a tree fell and diverted the water away from their home.

"That last tree that fell, and washed the water the other way," Bob Mueller said.

"We were fortunate," said Betty Mueller.

Although the water had been diverted and the Muellers' home saved, the flood still wreaked havoc for the local community.

The rushing waters took out Route 152 and a smaller road with a well-travelled bridge.

"That bridge was the main access," said Lindie Bentle, a Mount Morris town supervisor. "When it took down the other culvert down on the town road, it took miles to get around that afterwards. It made it hard for a lot of people."

Bentle works for Stafford Excavation, and the company wasted no time in beginning repairs within the community. In fact, workers got started the afternoon of the washout, and worked through the night.

Nevertheless, the repairs took months and both roads finally reopened in November. The lake wasn't swimmable again until spring, WISC-TV reported.

The Muellers said they feel particularly fortunate because the county and the contractor working on the dam restored their land and repaired their foundation for free.

"The county, they really worked,” said Betty. “They brought us rocks, ground and it took them quite a few weeks just to work on our yard."

The Muellers said they feel for families around Lake Delton who are left with nothing but are still being taxed.