Milwaukee County opens Disaster Recovery Center for those impacted by April storms and flooding
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee County opened a Disaster Recovery Center Tuesday, July 21, for those impacted by April storms and flooding.
Those affected by the severe weather between April 13-23 will have a chance to talk to state and federal officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) about how to get help applying for government assistance.
Erendira Strittar, with FEMA Region 5, told CBS 58 nearly 14,000 people have already applied for aid in Milwaukee County.
“We are here to assist the counties and the state through the storms that happened in April. We understand there was a lot of damage done due to the water that came into the houses. The biggest damage is the flooding,” Strittar said.
Gerome Griffin lives near 78th and Lisbon in Milwaukee. He came to the center on Monday to speak with people about options available to recover from significant flooding.
“I got flooded out pretty bad. Up to my knees, the water was. I lost a lot of stuff in my basement,” Griffin said. “It’s very helpful for everyone. It’s always good opportunity for us to reach out and try and get some more money because we lost a lot of stuff and we haven’t been compensated for half the stuff we lost.”
The recovery center will be open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday on the lower level of the Northwest Health Center at 7630 W. Mill Road.
Those visiting the center can enter through the front entrance and take the stairs down to the lower level, according to the county executive's office. Individuals unable to use stairs may enter through the back entrance and ring the doorbell for access to the elevator.
You have until Aug. 31 to apply for FEMA aid and can do so in person at the recovery center or online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
The FEMA Helpline is also available at 800-621-3362. After creating an account on DisasterAssistance.gov, you can check your status tracker and upload any documents requested by FEMA.
For more information about resources and assistance, click here. For more information on how to apply, click here for an accessible video.
