MADISON — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers will formally request a presidential disaster declaration from President Donald Trump as the Milwaukee area continues to recover from massive storms and historic flooding from earlier this month.
Evers is expected to make the request the morning of Aug. 27, according to a source with knowledge of his plans.
The governor previously submitted a request Aug. 13 for Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to work with the state on a formal federal preliminary damage assessment.
On Aug. 21 — 12 days after thousands of Milwaukee-area residents woke up to find overnight flooding had damaged their homes, businesses and livelihoods — the boots of the first FEMA teams hit the ground. Four teams operated in Milwaukee County, and one each in Waukesha and Washington counties. About 20 FEMA staff were embedded in those teams, which also included state and local emergency management personnel and U.S. Small Business Administration officials.
Evers’ Aug. 13 request for the FEMA review followed a report from Wisconsin Emergency Management showing that initial reviews of damage suggested the state would meet the threshold for federal assistance. That report allowed Evers to ask FEMA for a formal assessment, which now allows him to request a formal presidential disaster declaration and federal disaster relief.
Milwaukee and other parts of Wisconsin were hit with massive volumes of rain Aug. 9 and 10, leading to flash flooding, power outages and a slew of closures and cancellations. Parts of Milwaukee saw more than 10 inches of rain in less than 24 hours in what is classified as a 1,000-year flood event.
Evers’ response to the flooding has also included making National Guard resources available at the request of Milwaukee County and declaring a state of emergency. The governor has also toured storm damage in Wauwatosa and Milwaukee with local officials.
Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to request disaster declaration from Trump