IMPACT 211 line sees thousands of calls daily as people seek help amid historic flooding

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- Homeowners are exhausted as they continue to clean out and assess their flooded homes, all while having to pay tens of thousands of dollars to rebuild.

That's led to thousands of calls pouring into the IMPACT 211 call center, as people look to them for help with damage reports and resources.

“It’s crazy the number of people and it’s not letting up,” said John Hyatt, IMPACT president and CEO.

IMPACT 211 helps nine counties in southeastern Wisconsin, three of which were heavily impacted by recent flooding. The historic flooding has caused their calls to go from 500 daily to upwards of 3,000.

"There are people who are, they’re desperate," said Hyatt. "They are terrified. They’re not knowing what to do and so in many cases, many people - most of us can't afford to have your house be flooded."

In addition to helping those affected fill out damage reports, IMPACT 211 connects those in need with resources like housing, food, transportation and more.

“Everybody that calls has their own story, and now they’ve got somebody like live on the phone that they can tell their story," Hyatt said.

Jessi Young, who has lived in Wauwatosa for several years, is one of those thousands filling out a damage report.

“People are sobbing," said Young. "I think we’re all, kind of a lot of us that are living here, are in that fight or flight stage, and then maybe in a month from now I’ll just cry for a week because it’s hard to feel any feelings."

Young is trying to keep ahead of the pressures that feel like they're closing in around her.

"Figuring out how to get a water heater in, air conditioning, and then making sure there’s no mold in the house and then moving in and then working," said Young.

Worried help will stop coming and how much of the costs her family will be able to handle.

“So many people are helping," said Young. "People have to get back to working and get back to doing things, but it’s still going to be like weeks of work and weeks of tens of thousands of dollars for insurance that I don’t have."

There's a GoFundMe to help Young and her family here.

IMPACT 211 is open 24/7 to take calls, for anyone who needs help. You can find more information about the organization here.

Hyatt says the calls have been very emotional on both ends of the phone. He says other 211 organizations from out of state have had to step in and help with such high demand and need in the area.