MILWAUKEE — Heavy rainfall from Saturday night's storm caused significant water damage at The Cathedral Center emergency shelter in downtown Milwaukee, forcing the relocation of dozens of residents to other facilities.
Water poured through the ceiling early Sunday morning, creating a chaotic situation for shelter staff and residents.
"Water literally raining down inside the building, coming through light fixtures," Executive Director of The Cathedral Center, Donna Rongholt-Migan said.
Rongholt-Migan received an urgent call from overnight staff around 3 a.m. about the conditions. When she arrived, the damage was extensive.
"When we first walked in there was about two inches of standing water at the bottom of the first floor stairs and then we walked up and piece of ceiling had fallen down from our third floor ceiling in the hallway to the second floor to our hallway," Rongholt-Migan said.
Her first concern was for the safety of shelter residents. "Are our people okay? Are they ok? And they were," she said.
The Cathedral Center typically provides emergency housing for 28 women and eight families each night. Following the flooding, staff worked quickly with other area shelters to ensure all residents had safe alternative accommodations.
The situation has been particularly difficult for both staff and residents who rely on the center's services.
Watch: Milwaukee emergency shelter damaged by weekend storm, seeking donations
"I'm really hurting right now. Particularly because of the clients because they know where to find us," Rongholt-Migan said.
Now, the organization that normally helps others is asking the community for assistance. The center is seeking donations to help with recovery efforts and to continue supporting their displaced residents.
"Cash is always best because it gives us the most flexibility to really meet the demands that we're not sure are gonna happen," Rongholt-Migan said.
The center is also accepting donations of bottled water, bath towels, bedding, and grocery store gift cards to ALDI or Metro Market.
Despite the challenges ahead, the Cathedral Center staff remains committed to their mission. "This was abrupt. And we just want the people we serve to know that we are not going to abandon you, we're going to take care of you," Rongholt-Migan said.
The center has not yet announced when they expect to reopen their facility, but community members interested in helping can contact The Cathedral Center directly for information on how to donate.
You can donate to The Cathedral Center here.
You can donate here to the American Red Cross.
If you know of a small business or organization impacted by the flood, send an email to megan.lee@tmj4.com
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