Gov. Evers Asks Trump for Disaster Declaration for July Tornado
July 27 storms damaged more than 2,300 residential buildings, destroyed 84.
A home on 3rd Street is sunken into the ground after being damaged by a tornado Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Menasha, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Gov. Tony Evers has formally requested a disaster declaration from President Donald Trump in response to a tornado that ripped through the Fox Valley in late July, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
The EF3 tornado was among the severe storms on July 27 that carried strong rain and hail with them, causing widespread damage across the Fox Cities area. Evers is seeking federal individual assistance for Forest, Outagamie, Vilas and Winnebago counties and public assistance for Vilas and Winnebago counties.
According to the governor’s report to the president, 2,346 residential buildings were damaged, including 84 that were destroyed, 412 with major damage, 1,331 with minor damage and 519 others affected.
The total cost of the damage to residential buildings is estimated to be more than $8.2 million, while government property suffered another $13.8 million in damage, according to preliminary assessments.
Tyler Byrnes, a senior research associate, said state and local governments generally don’t have enough money available to address those costs on their own.
“There’s not really — other than the federal government — anybody that has the kind of resources that are needed to deal with this sort of event,” he said.
The roof of a home sits on the front lawn due to tornado damage Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Menasha, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
In a statement, Evers said he met with many who were affected by the storms and saw their strength and resiliency. He said the disaster highlighted that “Wisconsinites always show up for each other.”
“But we know goodwill, grit, and volunteers alone can’t fix this disaster, and we’ll need emergency disaster aid from the federal government to make it happen,” he stated. “Wisconsin has been hit especially hard by severe weather over the last few years, and we cannot afford for the federal government not to step up to the plate.”
Winnebago County Executive Gordon Hintz said the scale of destruction in Menasha, Neenah and Fox Crossing was far bigger than the capacity of those communities to respond.
A sign hangs on the exterior of a home damaged by a tornado Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Menasha, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
He said disasters like this are why the Federal Emergency Management Agency exists, saying the recovery will likely be measured in years rather than months.
“When you have these natural disasters, these kinds of resources are needed to assist those individuals and hopefully help get them on their feet and in a direction to rebuild and recover,” Hintz said.
The city of Menasha had the most severe damage in the region, according to Evers’ letter to Trump. More than 660 homes were damaged there, with 140 considered unsafe and likely requiring demolition, the letter states. Nearly 240 of the damaged residential properties were rental units.
“The hardest hit area of the storm includes census tracts with a high concentration of uninsured homes,” the report to the president reads. “The large renter population within portions of the impacted area creates an additional concern.”
Menasha Mayor Austin Hammond said the impact of the storm to the city was “monumental,” destroying homes, businesses and public spaces. He said federal assistance is “paramount” to ensuring the community can rebuild in a timely manner.
“This storm really turned our community upside down in a lot of ways, just with the utter destruction that it caused,” he said. “It’s a God-given miracle that there weren’t any fatalities.”
According to the report, damaged public facilities include an elementary school in Menasha and a totaled fire station in the village of Fox Crossing.
Additionally, Menasha’s water treatment facility and high-lift pumping station remain out of service and “it’s going to take a lot of funding to rebuild that,” Hammond said.
A home in Doty Island is still damaged from a severe tornado Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Menasha, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
He said an interconnection with the city of Neenah prevented Menasha residents from having to worry about accessible drinking water following the storm.
The governor’s request also highlighted the local and state recovery effort that followed the tornado.
More than 6,000 volunteers helped with the relief effort in the Fox Cities, while the Wisconsin National Guard deployed troops to assist with traffic control, debris clearance and welfare checks in Menasha, Neenah and Fox Crossing.
“People always say, ‘Look for the helpers,’ and, in this case, they were everywhere,” Hintz said. “They’re still everywhere because … there’s a lot of unmet needs that are out there, and we’re still working to try to fill those.”
The president needs to approve the governor’s request before federal aid becomes available.
Residents in the Doty Island neighborhood display signs thanking their community and workers who have helped repair damage caused by a July tornado Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Menasha, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
In March, Politico reported it was three times harder for Democrat-led states to receive disaster declarations than Republican-led states under the Trump administration. But in July, the administration approved disaster relief for parts of the state affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding this spring.
In response to flooding last summer, FEMA approved the state’s request for assistance to affected residents, but denied a request for aid to repair public infrastructure.
Hintz said he’s had encouraging conversations with U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, as well as U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, about the need for federal disaster assistance.
“They are really going to bat,” he said. “They’ve already had some contact with the administration on this, so I’m hopeful.”
Dishes can be seen inside a kitchen cabinet of a home damaged by a tornado Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in Menasha, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Gov. Evers asks Trump administration for federal disaster declaration for July tornado was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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