You may count yourself lucky if your basement didn't flood during last weekend's rainstorms and flooding.
More than ten inches of rain between Aug. 9 and Aug. 10 washed out roads, caused rivers to crest nearly a foot higher than normal and caused untold amounts of damage across the Milwaukee area.
Gov. Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency following the flooding, which frees up state and local resources to respond to the disaster. If you were impacted by the recent flooding, stop what you’re doing and fill out 2-1-1 Wisconsin Damage Report form immediately: https://211wisconsin.communityos.org/damage-report
Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee will use this data to measure the full extent of damage, unlock potential funds from the Wisconsin Disaster Fund and create a FEMA Preliminary Damage Assessment.
Here are some clean up tips from the City of Milwaukee.
If you weren't directly impacted and you find yourself helplessly scrolling social media or worrying about your neighbors, it's time to put the worry to work.
Here are ways to help the victims of the flooding in our community:
List your home for free on Airbnb
Airbnb is partnering with United Way of Wisconsin to provide free places to stay to those most in need. Stays are completely free for guests and are funded by Airbnb.org and donors.
People looking to support this work can sign up to host a family in need or donate at Airbnb.org — 100% of donations go toward funding emergency stays.
Volunteer for the Tosa Flood Drive this Friday and Saturday
Tosa Physical Therapy and Wellness is hosting a flood drive on Aug. 15 and 16 to help Wauwatosa neighbors impacted by the flooding. Here's what to know:
When: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16.
Where: Tosa Physical Therapy and Wellness 9126 West North Ave (Swan and North across from Colectivo)
How to help: Add your information to the Google Sheet to volunteer or donate. Then, show up when and where you can. Please drop off donations at the beginning of each day at Tosa PT and Wellness. Items will be distributed by the afternoon.
Here's a list of most-needed items:
- Cleaning supplies: Gloves, mops, squeegee, bleach, Lysol, rags and antibacterials
- Equipment: Dehumidifiers, fans, or pumps
- Storage: Tubs or bins with lids and storage shelves
- Simple meals: Lasagna or grocery store pre-made meals
- For school aged children: school supplies and clothing
- Grocery and personal care items for displaced families: Pet food, formula, diapers, soap, toothpaste, brushes, wipes and first aid kits
- Gift cards: Lowes or ACE Hardware, grocery stores, Walmart and Target
How to get help: Add your information to this Google Sheet to report the type of help you need.
Add your business to Milwaukee County's 'Crisis Cleanup' database
If you have an organization that offers clean up services for survivors, create a Crisis Cleanup profile to be connected to those in need of help.
Helpful services you can provide include property clean up, property rebuilding and survivor services.
Milwaukee County also recommends the following destinations for donations and volunteering:
- To donate money: United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County
- To volunteer: Wisconsin Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster maintains a list of Greater Milwaukee Area nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers.
- To donate supplies: Reach out to nonprofit organizations that you already donate to. For a list of trusted nonprofits, visit Southeast Wisconsin Community Organizations Active in Disasters (SEWI COAD)
Offer your direct support to neighbors
Flood waters create a ton of work that a homeowner or renter needs to get through quickly to avoid mold or further damage.
Elderly neighbors or families with young children may need extra help removing damaged property and filing necessary paperwork.
To that end, you can lend a helping hand to anyone in your neighborhood impacted by flooding.
Here are some ways to do that:
- Ask first: Approach a neighbor impacted by the flooding and ask how you can help most
- Offer to help remove damaged items and furniture from basements
- Cook a meal or drop off a gift card to a local restaurant
- If you know a family well, offer to babysit children while parents manage flood cleanup
- Offer transportation to appointments or shelters
- Bring over hand-me-down clothing for children or household cleaning products
- Invite the family over to help fill out insurance paperwork together
- Offer to cut the family's lawn or drop off large items at the dump
This list has been compiled from conversations with a local flood victim and resources shared by Austin-area mutual aid networks after the July 2025 flooding. Want to add something? Let reporter Katherine Kokal know at kokal@uwm.edu.
'Be part of Milwaukee's comeback story:' Donate to helpers unclogging drains
When the flooding first hit, Harambee resident Aziz Abdullah assembled a team to unclog drains and help remove water from flooded backyards.
Now, the group wants to help 500 households in 10 days. They're focusing on thee 50 hardest-hit families in each of the 10 most rain-damaged areas.
The group is raising money to buy supplies and hire student helpers to get the word out and work with families. You can read more and donate here on their Go Fund Me page.
"Let’s come together. Hope Flood 500 is our chance to turn compassion into action. Donate today and be part of Milwaukee’s comeback story," Abdullah says.
Help a family directly by cooking a meal or sending money
The Little Village Play Cafe in Wauwatosa has assembled a spreadsheet of families looking for direct help following the floods.
Volunteers can sign up to contribute to meal trains, donate children's clothing, purchase gift cards and make direct financial donations through Go Fund Me pages and Venmo accounts.
The spreadsheet also includes resources for victims of the flooding. Business owners specializing in mold and restoration, junk removal and plumbing have added their information for families to use.
Abi Gilman, owner of The Little Village Play Cafe said the spreadsheet came to life after she posted on Instagram and asked those impacted by flooding what they needed. She was stunned to learn of all the ways people wanted to help.
"Our village was made for moments like this when we help carry each other through the hard things," she says. "Usually at Little Village that applies to simply surviving the beautiful chaos of life with little kids. But this week's floods have elevated the need for a village. Doing this alone is just impossible... and no one should have to."
Donate food or money to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin food pantries
Fifteen pantries operated by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin were damaged in the flooding, causing ten pantries to close their doors, according to the organization.
In response, the food pantries are asking for monetary donations or donations of shelf-stable food to the pantries that lost supplies.
You can donate online here on the Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin website. Each dollar donated translates to $4 of food due to the food bank's bulk-buying program.
If you are able to donate food, you should bring your donations to the central Feeding America food bank located at 1700 W. Fond du Lac Avenue in Milwaukee. Not all satellite food pantries are open yet.
Here are the most-needed items following the storm, according to Feeding America:
- Shelf-stable food such as canned fruit and vegetables
- Cereal, fruit cups, applesauce
- Canned soup and shel-stable milk
- Nut butters
- Bulk products
- Household cleaning items
- Paper products like toilet paper or paper towels
- Boxes, bags, totes, and pallets
Volunteer with The Red Cross
The American Red Cross has opened shelters at Holler Park (located at 5151 S. 6th St.) and at Washington Park Senior Center (located at 4420 W. Vliet St.)
There, those in need can receive meals, water, blankets, comfort kits, charging stations and pet areas. They can also get help replacing prescription medications, eyeglasses and medical equipment that may have been left behind or lost during the flooding.
More than 90% of the Red Cross workforce is made up of volunteers. If you're able to volunteer, the organization needs shelter assistance workers, shelter caseworkers, translators, and disaster dispatchers in the Milwaukee area.
Find volunteer opportunities here on the Red Cross website.
Foster a cat or kitten from the Humane Society
Animals are often left injured or lost after floods, requiring more kennel space in local animal shelters.
The Wisconsin Humane Society has more than 1,100 cats and kittens in its care, and the organization has taken to social media to ask for foster families for animals.
Here are some guidelines to fostering:
- To become a foster parent, you must be 18 years or older and have homeowners/renters insurance and health insurance.
- You can have other pets in your home, but they must be spayed or neutered and up to date on all vaccinations. Your other pets must also be able to be physically separated from your foster animal in your home for a brief isolation period.
You can apply to be a cat or kitten foster on the Wisconsin Humane Society's website here.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Know of something that isn't on this list? Let WUWM reporter Katherine Kokal know at kokal@uwm.edu.
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