Overview
- Governor Tony Evers formally requested a presidential disaster declaration on Friday, May 22, asking President Trump to approve federal aid after severe April storms and flooding.
- Joint preliminary damage assessments by Wisconsin Emergency Management and FEMA found more than $27 million in damage, including roughly $9.8 million to homes and over $17.6 million to public infrastructure based on inspections of about 1,570 properties.
- The state asked for three types of FEMA support: Individual Assistance for residents in 19 counties and the Oneida Nation, Public Assistance for emergency work and infrastructure in 14 counties and the Oneida Nation, and statewide Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding.
- The final decision rests with the president and there is no set timeline for approval; the request follows an unresolved appeal after a prior federal denial of Public Assistance tied to last summer’s flooding.
- Officials are urging affected residents to document damage, keep receipts for temporary housing and repairs, and contact insurers because approval would provide direct aid to families, funding for road and utility repairs, and money for projects to reduce future flood risk.