'You don't have to be home': FEMA representative on what to expect during in-person flood damage assessment that starts Thursday

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- After ten days of uncertainty brought on by historic flooding, FEMA is in southeast Wisconsin.

Federal damage investigators are on the ground and starting to assess the impacts from last week's historic storms.

On Thursday, those teams will go door-to-door to talk directly with impacted people. It's the next required step if the area is ever to receive disaster aid.

A FEMA representative said they'll be here as long as necessary to get an accurate snapshot of the damage.

Multiple teams will fan out across the area over the next several days. But with so many areas impacted, many victims are worried their voices will not be heard.

FEMA Spokesperson Nicole Wilson told us, "It's a fair question for people to be concerned about, whether or not they need to be home when we conduct these assessments."

But the answer is no, according to Wilson.

Starting Thursday, FEMA will interview people in flooded areas. Wilson said, "You don't have to be home. It's not a requirement that you're home if FEMA knocks on your door."

She's confident they'll get an accurate picture of the damage regardless of how many people they talk to.

Multiple teams of FEMA investigators will join crews from Wisconsin Emergency Management, plus representatives from the county and the Small Business Administration.

Much of the disaster has already been assessed by those local teams, which will help FEMA work as quickly as possible for as long as it takes.

Wilson said, "We don't need to knock on every door, we don't need to talk to every resident. We will lean on the information that we receive from our partners at the counties."

The state will use the data that's collected and confirmed to request a formal Presidential Disaster Declaration. It's one of several necessary steps before federal funding can be made available.

Local leaders are hopeful FEMA will see what they see: a disaster zone that needs millions of dollars of federal funding to help rebuild. In addition to water damage, countless homes have suffered costly structural damage.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson hopes the assessments are more than just a drive-through. He said, "But actually check out those places, like those basements, that have been affected. Because these people have lost some valuable living space."

The locations the teams will assess will be chosen by Wisconsin Emergency Management. Wilson says they'll ask how much water was in the homes, what damage was caused, how their families were impacted, and if they had to leave their homes.

She said, "We will get an accurate reflection of what the damage looked like in those communities."

Wilson said people need to be careful when giving out any personal information. FEMA teams will always have photo ID, they'll never ask for money, they won't even ask for any personal identifying information. If you have concerns about someone, Wilson says to report it to local officials.