Search Articles
MILWAUKEE (CN) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday denied Wisconsin’s application for hazard mitigation funding to assist in the state’s response to disastrous flooding over the summer.
Extreme storms in August caused severe flooding in southeastern Wisconsin over two days, followed by mudslides. The record rainfall forced the Wisconsin State Fair to cancel its final day after reports showed cars and people were trapped on the grounds by water.
The National Weather Service reported the state saw over 10 inches of rain, an unprecedented number that carried cars, flooded underground parking garages, collapsed homes and killed at least two people.
In the days following, Governor Tony Evers declared a statewide emergency and requested support from FEMA to mitigate the damage.
On Wednesday, FEMA denied Wisconsin’s application for a hazard mitigation grant that would have helped to fortify the state against future flood disasters and support ongoing mitigation measures.
The disaster agency also denied the state’s application for the public assistance program last week, stating the funding was “not warranted.” Evers has said he will appeal both decisions.
“Talk about adding insult to injury,” Evers said in a statement. “The Trump administration has once again told the people of Wisconsin that they are on their own, and we just can’t accept that. … We urge the Trump administration to reconsider these decisions and work to support the families, businesses and communities here in Wisconsin who are working to rebuild and recover.”
Public assistance funding from FEMA is intended for state, local and tribal governments to offset the cost of repairs for roads, bridges and other public infrastructure, while the hazard mitigation grant is intended to fortify the public sector against future disasters and loss.
Funding from the hazard mitigation grant program showed success in a flooding event in Wauwatosa, a suburb of Milwaukee, in 1997, Evers said. The grant allowed the state to purchase and demolish 23 flood-damaged homes and create Hart Park.
This time around, the open space of the park prevented residential damage and reduced the need for emergency rescues, according to Evers.
FEMA performed an in-person assessment of the flood damage in Wisconsin in August and found that 1,500 residential structures were destroyed or sustained major damage totaling upward of $33 million.
The public sector sustained further damages of $43 million, around half of which is eligible for federal assistance, according to Evers.
The preliminary damage assessment prepared by the disaster agency and Wisconsin Emergency Management, a branch of the state Department of Military Affairs, became the basis for Evers’ applications for the public and individual assistance programs.
President Donald Trump issued a federal disaster declaration, releasing individual assistance funds for Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.
FEMA has already distributed over $123 million in financial assistance to homeowners, renters, small business owners and other individuals impacted by the flood, according to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
“I’ve commended the Trump administration for delivering this federal funding to our residents and businesses – because there is no room for politics in the aftermath of a natural disaster,” Crowley said in a statement. “But the cost to repair the damage to our public assets … still looms over our impacted counties.”
The individual assistance program provides funding for finding and paying for short-term housing during repairs or water mitigation, home repairs, medical and dental expenses, child care, moving, storage, transportation and more.
The Trump administration did not offer specific reasoning for denying Wisconsin’s requests for public assistance, and FEMA could not be reached for comment by press time.
Leaders in Milwaukee and Wauwatosa, which were hit hardest by August’s flooding, say it is not yet clear how it will offset recovery costs. Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride announced last week that the city faces $2 million in public sector damages even after receiving donations and insurance dollars.
“In a time when local government budgets are extremely tight, Milwaukee could certainly have deployed disaster funding in a way that mitigated the burden our taxpayers will have to shoulder,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.
The window to apply for individual FEMA assistance in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa and Washington counties closes on Nov. 12.
Follow @desdev5Subscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.