MILWAUKEE — The City of Milwaukee has suspended permit fees for repair work from damage that occurred during the historic flooding on August 9 and August 10.
The city's common council passed legislation on the fees typically associated with electrical work and appliance installations, aiming to alleviate the burden on flood victims.
Milestone Plumbing is in the process of installing free water heaters for several people who lost theirs during the flood.
Milestone Plumbing founder Jessie Cannizzaro reached out to TMJ4 reporter Brendyn Jones after seeing extensive coverage of flood victims who lost everything. TMJ4, along with the American Red Cross, provided a list of names to Milestone, and the company committed to replacing five water heaters completely free of charge for affected families.
"There's just so much loss, it's one less fee that needs to be paid," Cannizzaro said.
Watch: Flood victims thankful as Milwaukee waives permit fee for damage sustained during the flood
Three water heaters have already been replaced and inspected by the Department of Neighborhood Services, with two more installations remaining.
Jean Morales was one of the recipients of a free water heater replacement. Like many flood victims, she lost irreplaceable family memories and suffered extensive property damage.
"Watching all my photos and videos of our family gatherings and everything is gone," Morales said."I'm so blessed and so thankful that we were one of the five; it's so amazing to have people reach out to that."
The financial relief extends beyond private donations. Milestone's worked with the city to pass the ordinance.
From now until December 31, residents can apply for a permit fee waiver. Those who already paid for permits may be eligible for reimbursement. Residents or their contractors should contact the Department of Neighborhood Services directly about the waiver.
The city estimates the fee suspension will impact over 2,000 applications.
For Morales, the road to recovery remains long. She hopes more businesses will step up to help the thousands impacted by floods across Wisconsin.
"Open your hearts, open your eyes to your neighbors to your friends, because we all need help… we all need help," Morales said.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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