MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced that the Trump Administration has denied Wisconsin’s application for Public Assistance for Door, Grant, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties after severe storms and flooding caused severe damage to public infrastructure in August.
Strong storms swept through Door County and other parts of the state on Aug. 9.
Door County was particularly hard hit, including trees down and roads closed near Ephraim as well as significant storm damage at Newport State Park and Cana Island.
In response, the governor announced he will be filing an appeal to ensure these six counties receive the support they need to rebuild, recover, and address more than $26.5 million in disaster costs.
“Denying federal assistance doesn’t just delay recovery, it sends a message to our communities that they are on their own, and that the Trump Administration doesn’t think over $26 million in damages to public infrastructure is worthy of their help. I couldn’t disagree more,” said Gov. Evers. “The federal government should not expect our communities go through this alone, and we are going to fight tooth and nail to ensure they get every possible resource to rebuild and recover. We are hopeful that the Trump Administration will reconsider this decision, so we can make sure folks have the resources and support they need.”
In a letter sent to the governor, FEMA said that while the impact to individuals and households was significant, based on the Preliminary Damage Assessments, “it has been determined that the public assistance program is not warranted.”
In September, formal preliminary damage assessments were conducted by joint teams including FEMA, Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), and local officials, and those assessments validated more than $26.5 million in eligible disaster costs. Gov. Evers is now directing WEM to gather additional information and details on costs the public sector and certain private non-profit organizations incurred due to the August storms. Wisconsin has 30 days from the date of the denial letter to send its appeal.
The governor has been steadfast in his efforts to ensure the communities impacted by these severe weather events have the support and resources they need. On August 11, Gov. Evers declared a state of emergency in response to the severe weather across Wisconsin that occurred over the previous weekend. Following this declaration, the first step needed to receive federal disaster aid and assistance, the governor announced he submitted a request for FEMA to assist the state in conducting a formal federal preliminary damage assessment of the damage caused by the extreme storms and flooding across the state. The governor’s request came as a result of WEM’s reports that the initial state and local damage review suggested Wisconsin would meet the federal threshold to receive federal aid and assistance. On August 27, Gov. Evers requested a formal presidential disaster declaration from President Donald Trump, a portion of which was approved in September.
The Public Assistance program provides supplemental grants to state, local, and tribal governments as well as certain types of private nonprofits to recover from major disasters or emergencies. The grants may provide funding for:
- Restoration of damaged public buildings and equipment, such as public schools, hospitals, and facilities providing community services;
- Restoration of roads and bridges;
- Debris removal from obstructed public roadways and infrastructure; and
- Repair of damaged or impacted public utilities and water system.
The decision on granting Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding is still pending.
