Burlington area appears to be among the hardest hit
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
Damage assessment teams from the Federal Emergency Management Association are expected in the area this week, giving the strongest indication yet that Wisconsin may be in line to receive federal disaster aid in the wake of July’s floods.
Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday requested FEMA conduct preliminary damage assessments in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties for both individual assistance and public assistance for municipal infrastructure, according to a news release issued by the Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center.
This is the first step for potentially requesting federal assistance.
Based on raw numbers it appears the three-county area may qualify for federal disaster relief. But, until that declaration is made, at least one official is cautioning residents not to get their hopes up.
“We’re hoping, but we’re still cautious,” Burlington Mayor Jeannie Hefty said last week. “I don’t want homeowners thinking they’ll get relief and then for some reason they won’t.”
The Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center in Madison reported July 24 that estimated damaged to public infrastructure – including roads, bridges and dams – had eclipsed $8.4 million.
That total encompasses seven counties in the state with the highest numbers registered by Racine County ($3.9 million), Walworth County ($2.7 million) and Kenosha County ($1.7 million).
According to the Kenosha County Executive’s Office, about $8.2 million in damage to public infrastructure statewide is required to trigger a Presidential Disaster Declaration.
The affected counties are currently busy compiling figures to meet deadlines for submitting figures for damage estimates and economic impact of the flooding, according to county officials.
Gov. Walker has declared disasters in 20 counties, including Kenosha, Racine and Walworth.
Racine County and the Burlington area in particular bore the brunt of the damage with 2,337 homes affected by the floods that began July 12. Of that number, one home was destroyed, 60 suffered major damage and 231 had minor damage, according to figures released by the state Emergency Operations Center.
Racine County also had six businesses with major damage and 16 with minor damage.
In Kenosha County those numbers included 1,300 residences affected, 35 with major damage and 232 with minor damage. For Walworth County the figures are 175 homes affected, two destroyed, five with major damage and 100 with minor damage.
Kenosha County had four businesses with major damage and Walworth County had 10 businesses with minor damage, according to the Emergency Operations Center.
Damage totals may fluctuate, however, as the federal government reviews submissions from counties and municipalities. Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel are expected in the area to conduct these reviews early next week, Kenosha County officials said.
Relief efforts
Officials with the state Emergency Operations Center said representatives of Team Rubicon – an organization that pairs military veterans with first responders to provide disaster relief – arrived in Racine County on last week and was conducting assessments before establishing cleanup assistance operations.
The state center also said that since the flooding began, the American Red Cross has opened 206 assistance cases in Southeast Wisconsin.
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