Flood resource centers to open in suburbs; foundation repair crews still busy
MUSKEGO, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Waukesha County officials announced Friday, Sept. 19, they'll be opening a rotating set of flood recovery centers starting next week. Federal workers will staff pop-up Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC), and people affected by last month's historic flooding will be able to receive help applying for federal disaster relief.
The centers will move between three communities:
- Butler Village Hall, Sept. 23-30
- Brookfield Public Safety Building, Oct. 1-4 & Oct. 6-11
- Muskego City Hall, Oct. 13-17
The recovery center hours will be between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., with the exception of October 6, when the Brookfield center will close at 4 p.m. that day.
Washington County officials also shared more details around flood resources centers they're hosting next week. Those will be open Sept. 22-26 at both Richfield Fire Station No. 1 and Germantown Village Hall. The hours there will be between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The deadline to apply for FEMA disaster aid is November 12, but local and federal officials have repeatedly encouraged people to move quickly with their applications and repairs.
"If you haven't started repairs on your house, please start them now," Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow said. "Document everything. Keep all the receipts, keep all the information."
Gary Mauch is already pretty far along on the road to recovery. One of his basement walls fully collapsed amid the flooding. He recalls walking through waist-high water with his wife, carrying their dog and bags full of belongings.
Upon returning home, a top priority was securing the basement, which meant cleaning it out and rebuilding the wall.
"When I saw the hole, I was just like, 'Unbelievable.' I couldn't believe it," he said. "I thought it was a shelf that fell, not a wall caving in."
The Mauch family had to temporarily leave their Muskego home after a section of the basement wall collapsed.
The Mauchs' basement was repaired by American Foundation Specialists. The Hales Corner business is run by Jayme Zidar, who estimates the company has rebuild about 30 collapsed basement walls over the past six weeks.
"I've worked seven days a week since the flood," Zidar said. "I think there's been three days I've been home before nine o'clock."
Zidar said the calls are still coming, too. He said as recently as last week, the business was hearing from people whose collapsed walls still need to be rebuilt.
For the Mauchs, the next step is securing relief to help them cover their flood-related expenses. Gary said it cost about $60,000 for the basement repairs and restoration, and they still need to install new flooring across the main floor.
People can apply for FEMA disaster aid online, by phone or in-person at a recovery center. The Waukesha County centers are open to all residents of southeast Wisconsin.
Alex Freeman, the county's emergency management coordinator, said people should have their basic personal info ready, including email and phone contact information, their address, household income, banking information for direct deposit and a list of items they lost in the flood.
"This is the essential info to get your application started," Freeman said. "After that, in the next 15 days, FEMA will reach out about your eligibility status, and that's when they'll collect supporting documentation like photos, receipts, insurance denials or approvals."
FEMA officials have said that while the $29.8 million aid figure announced by the Trump administration is mostly an estimate. They said anyone who qualifies for relief in the declared disaster counties of Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha will get it.
Those funds can cover a wide range of costs, including home repairs, appliance replacement, temporary housing and car repairs.
FEMA Spokesperson Erendira Strittar said there's no set timeline for when people can expect to receive a decision after FEMA follows up with more information.
"This can be a smooth process. It can go very, very quick if you help us and stay in contact with us," she said. "I can't give you exact days but I know we're working very, very fast, and it's a matter of days."
Mauch said he and his wife applied as soon as the process opened.
"A lot of paperwork to fill out. A lot of extensive paperwork," he said. "They want you to list every item that was downstairs. I had a lot of tools, circular saws, a lot of stuff."
There has been some progress. Mauch said a FEMA representative was at their house Thursday to follow up on their damage claims.
"I guess they're looking at it right now," he said. "So, hopefully it's approved soon."