MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) – Roughly 2.5 weeks after severe storms and torrential downpours displaced families and damaged properties across Door and five other Wisconsin counties, Governor Tony Evers has formally requested a presidential disaster declaration from President Donald Trump.
In a release from Gov. Evers’ office, the disaster declaration request includes Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance program.
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Three additional counties were included for FEMA’s Public Assistance program, along with Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha:
- Door County
- Grant County
- Ozaukee County
The request comes just under a week after FEMA officials arrived in the state to help with a preliminary damage assessment, which occurred after Gov. Evers requested FEMA assistance in the recovery.
According to the release on Tuesday, FEMA and Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) deemed that 1,500 residential buildings were either destroyed or heavily damaged with an estimated cost of over $33 million.
“Having been on the ground to see firsthand some of the areas that have been hit hardest by the disastrous storms and flash floods that have affected folks across our state, it’s clear it’s going to take a significant amount of time and resources to recover,” Gov. Evers said in the release.
Gov. Evers said that while officials have worked to respond and support clean-up, more help is needed, and he expressed gratitude to WEM and FEMA for identifying and confirming the need for federal aid.
“Now, I’m urging President Trump to do the right thing and make the appropriate presidential disaster declaration in coordination with the preliminary damage assessment—and quickly and without delay,” Gov. Evers said.
While the estimated damages were significant, FEMA does not rely on financial guidelines to determine whether a disaster declaration should be made, as the size and impact are major factors; however, the approval/denial decision is solely up to President Trump.
WEM Administrator Greg Engle credited both FEMA and local officials for their work in determining the next steps.
“The swift and collaborative effort for these assessments isn’t just a procedural step—it’s a powerful demonstration of unity between counties, the state of Wisconsin and FEMA to get help to those in crisis after this historical flooding event,” Engle said in the release.
According to the release, initial reports indicated over $43 million in public sector damage across the six counties that Gov. Evers is requesting federal aid for; however, a joint preliminary damage assessment on this will be done in September by FEMA, WEM and local officials.
Anybody who may not have been home or not received a visit during field assessments should contact insurance agents to learn about coverage, and also report damage by calling 2-1-1 or visiting the 211 Wisconsin website.
The letter from Gov. Evers to Pres. Trump outlined details of damage assessments from FEMA and WEM, specifically outlining the urgency required as winter will approach sooner than people know it, thus prompting a need to get things fixed before temperatures drop even more.
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“In closing, I want to reaffirm the urgency of this request and emphasize the need to assist the survivors and communities as quickly as possible so that life can return to normal. Additionally, winter will set in very soon, with nighttime temperatures already dropping. Many survivors are living in severely damaged homes without furnaces or water heaters. I therefore respectfully request that you review this documentation and act quickly to declare a major disaster for the State of Wisconsin.” – Governor Tony Evers in letter to President Donald Trump
That letter can be read in full by clicking here or in the file viewer below.
