Damage assessments are key to federal declaration
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
Officials with Wisconsin Emergency Management are in the process of compiling totals from the damage assessments they in early August in conjunction with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The joint assessment information will be used to determine whether Gov. Scott Walker will ask President Donald Trump to declare the area a federal disaster, according to Cassandra Ringsdorf, a public information officer with the Chicago office of FEMA.
“The data collected last week is with the state, and they’re currently using it to determine if the extent of damage is beyond the capabilities of the local and state government to recover from the disaster,” Ringsdorf said.
If the state decides to pursue the federal declaration, it will be forwarded to the Trump administration through FEMA’s regional office in Chicago, according to Ringsdorf.
“Depending on the type of disaster damage, the president may issue a major disaster declaration,” Ringsdorf said.
Such a declaration would trigger federal assistance through grants and loans in up to three areas:
- Public assistance: Aid to public and certain non-profit entities for emergency services and the repair or replacement of infrastructure and public facilities;
- Individual assistance: Aid to individuals, households and businesses; and
- Hazard mitigation assistance: Funding for measures designed to reduce future losses to public and private property.
“If declared, the Individuals Assistance Program provides grant funding to eligible individuals and households who have uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs,” Ringsdorf said.
In the event of an Individual Assistance declaration, residents in declared counties would be able to register by phone or online immediately after the declaration is announced. There isn’t a set timeframe for the individual assistance process, Ringsdorf said.
Last week, City of Burlington and Racine County officials joined several representatives from the state and federal agencies as they made their rounds on foot and in golf carts in an attempt to get visual confirmation of the damage estimates compiled by the county in the two weeks that followed the flood.
The team assessing residential and commercial damage in Burlington was one of six deployed in Racine, Kenosha and Walworth Counties last week. Three of the teams focused on damage to homes and businesses and three assessed damage to public infrastructure.
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