Last month, a 1000-year flood devastated Milwaukee and surrounding counties. The flooding left at least two people dead, tens of thousands without power, and caused over $52 million in damages. Last week, President Trump approved FEMA assistance funding, which will provide financial relief to residents who were impacted by the flooding.
WUWM’s Jimmy Gutierrez talked with Eren Strittar, FEMA media relations specialist about how residents can apply for assistance and what to expect along the way.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity
Can you walk us through the process of how someone applies for help? Where do people begin?
Well, if you live in any of the three counties that were declared, which is, Waukesha, Milwaukee and Washington, and you suffered loss because of the storms in August, I recommend you to get in contact with us. There are different ways to do it. The easiest one is calling 1-800-621-3362. We're available to talk to you and there's also people that speak Spanish. It's a multilingual line.
Once you call this hotline from FEMA, somebody will start taking your basic information. So, what do we need? Well, we need your name and we need the address of where you suffered this loss. And if you're staying somewhere else because you can't go back to your house due to the damage that was caused, we're also going to need that address. Are we’re going to need an email, if you have one, or definitely a phone number where we can be in contact with you.
One of the things we recommend is you also have an inventory ready of everything that you lost due to the storms, the damage, if you had to replace the items. We recommend that you save the receipts. If you have house insurance, we ask you to contact them first so we can see what the result of that. FEMA cannot duplicate efforts. What I mean is, if you already receive money from your homeowner's insurance, we cannot duplicate the money that you already received. But if you have insurance and you're not getting any help, please come and talk to us. If you don't have insurance, please come and talk to us. And also, this is not just for homeowners, but is also for renters.
So we're talking to renters, we're talking to people who have and haven't already filed a claim with their homeowners insurance, people who have and haven't already talked with FEMA. Something I think a lot of people are also curious about, when you talk about taking inventory, is what is and what isn't covered by FEMA?
We are concerned about your water heater, heating system since winter is coming. We want to make sure that your furnace is working. And also anything that was lost, for example, if your car was damaged and then you need that for work, FEMA can help you with that. If you have any medical expenses due to this storm, we can help you with that. If you have any dental expenses due to the storm, like, let's say you fell down and you hurt yourself and you had to go either to the doctor or to the dentist. FEMA can help you with that.
If you had damage to your property. For example, if you lose the uniforms from your kids that go to school, if you lose anything that they needed for school. That’s also something that you can ask for help to be replaced. Your washer, your fridge, anything that is considered a priority for you to continue having the life that you need, you should apply and come and talk to us.
This is a pretty thorough list, and some big household items and costly items. Is there a maximum amount that's payable to residents? And also, is there an income limit that applies to applicants as well?
The assistance FEMA gives is not based on income. So it has nothing to do with the income that you bring home. And it is also a grant so you don't have to pay taxes on this. This is an assistance that FEMA gives because of the disaster because of why you had to go through.
And each case is different. You know, some people maybe just have a little damage and somebody else had their furnace damaged, their water heater, their vehicle damaged. So it is by case this way [for payouts]. And each time somebody applies for assistance, they are given a specific number to your application. This way we can follow up with you and see what your specific needs are.
I think something else that people are going to think about as this is still top of mind is when is the deadline to get their application into FEMA?
The deadline at this moment is Nov. 12. So there is plenty of time, but we are asking everyone not to wait until the last minute. Phone lines are available now. The FEMA app is very easy to use, you can download it for free and also is in Spanish. You can go to disaster assistance dot gov. And in just a matter of a few days we’re hoping to open recovery centers in different areas close to the community where residents can go and either follow up on their application, if they already started the application online or on the phone, and with any follow up questions.
We are here to support Milwaukee, Waukesha and Washington counties during this difficult moment. The most important thing is for them to start this process.
Following up on that, we've got two months here for folks to get this application and then start the process. What is the timeline that residents can expect to hear back about their claim and potential payouts?
If they apply and they have everything ready, if they have homeowners insurance and they already contacted them, then that will make it a lot faster. So, we ask you to please contact them so we can have a reply for them.
If you already have your estimates of how much is going to be to replace your furnace, if it was damaged, that will be helpful. Or if you've already replaced it, have the receipt ready, it will be so much more helpful. But, it's by case, and sometimes it can be a quick turnaround of 5 to 7 business days.
It's hard for me to say exactly because it's by case, but the more prepared you are, the faster will be okay.
Is there anything else that you think is important for residents to know – especially considering this kind of experience is relatively new or brand new to so many people?
Well, the number one thing is that if they have any questions, if they're not sure if they qualify, please talk to us. Call our FEMA number 1-800-621-3362. We have the answers that you might be looking for. So don't hesitate.
And the number two is that if you know somebody, a neighbor or somebody that went through this damage or had damage due to the storms of August, and they don't know anything about FEMA and they don't know that they can have some assistance to replace their water heater, we ask you to help us share this message. They can just give them a phone number and they can call us.
And remember, it's not just for homeowners, it's also if you're renting. And especially if you don't have a place to live, FEMA can help you with assistance.
