Disaster Centers Will Help With Applications for Federal Funding

Mayor Cavalier Johnson speaks during press conference on disaster centers. Photo taken Tuesday, Sept. 23 by Graham Kilmer.

If you need help applying for federal assistance for flood damage or want to talk to a representative of the federal government, two in-person centers are being set up in Milwaukee County.

The Disaster Recovery Centers, as they’re being called, will be staffed by local emergency management officials and staff from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The centers will open Wednesday, one in the city of Milwaukee the other in Wauwatosa.

They will operate during normal business hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. In Milwaukee, the center is located at the former McNair School, 4950 North 24th Street. The Wauwatosa center is located at Wauwatosa City Hall, 7725 W. North Ave. The Wauwatosa recovery center will close on Oct. 10 and move to another site that has not yet been announced.

The centers will assist with filing an application, provide updates on the process and also provide residents with information about the appeals process.

“I know that sometimes it can be daunting and today we’re announcing that an additional resource is gonna be on the ground,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.

Those seeking assistance do not need to visit a center to apply for assistance. Anyone can still apply online or by calling the FEMA helpline.

“But for anyone who still have questions, need a little bit of extra help uploading documents and navigating the online application, or you simply want to talk to a FEMA representative face to face, the disaster recovery centers are here,” County Executive David Crowley said.

The deadline to apply for disaster assistance is Nov. 12.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump approved federal aid for individuals following the flood. The announcement stated that $29.8 million was approved. But this was just the figure from the FEMA preliminary damage assessment (PDA). There is no cap on aid to the region and anyone eligible for funding from FEMA will receive assistance even if the total ends up exceeding the PDA figure, according to the county executive’s office.

Small businesses that sustained damage can also apply for low-interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The deadline is Nov. 10