Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that the Trump administration has denied Wisconsin’s application for public assistance for six counties across southeast Wisconsin after severe storms and flooding caused major damage to public infrastructure in August.
The counties impacted include Door, Grant, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.
Watch: Trump denies Wisconsin's request for federal disaster money for flooding repairs
“Denying federal assistance doesn’t just delay recovery, it sends a message to our communities that they are on their own and that the Trump administration doesn’t think over $26 million in damages to public infrastructure is worthy of their help. I couldn’t disagree more,” Evers said.
According to Evers, in a letter sent to the governor, FEMA said that while the impact to individuals and households was significant, based on the preliminary damage assessments, “it has been determined that the public assistance program is not warranted.”
What is the Public Assistance program?
The Public Assistance program provides supplemental grants to state, local and tribal governments, as well as certain types of private nonprofits, to recover from major disasters or emergencies.
The grants may provide funding for the restoration of damaged public buildings and equipment, restoration of roads and bridges, debris removal, and repair of damaged or impacted public utilities and water systems.
“The federal government should not expect our communities to go through this alone, and we are going to fight tooth and nail to ensure they get every possible resource to rebuild and recover. We are hopeful that the Trump administration will reconsider this decision so we can make sure folks have the resources and support they need," Evers said.
The governor says he plans to file an appeal to ensure these six communities receive support to “address more than $26.5 million in disaster costs,” which he said were validated in September during formal preliminary damage assessments.
The assessments were conducted by joint teams including FEMA, Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), and local officials.
Evers said he is now directing WEM to gather additional information and details on costs the public sector and certain private nonprofit organizations incurred due to the August storms.
Wisconsin has 30 days from the date of the denial letter to send its appeal.
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