MILWAUKEE — A lot that once represented Joe Kiesner's dream has become a painful reminder of devastating losses after recent flooding destroyed his towing business in Milwaukee's Miller Valley.
"To be honest with you, I hate coming back every day, but I have to. I have no other choice. I have to come back, but it hurts," said Joe Kiesner, owner of All Around Towing.
For nearly three weeks, Kiesner has been cleaning out the building that housed both his home and towing company near the Menomonee River in Milwaukee's Miller Valley. The water lines inside the building reveal the extent of the flooding that destroyed everything within, including tools, furniture, and approximately 20 vehicles. The entire interior will need to be redone.
Kiesner estimates total losses at over $1 million.
"To lose everything I've worked so hard for and I've tried to build something if something happens to me, it feels like now, I left them with nothing. I left them with nothing but clean-up," said Kiesner.
Watch: Milwaukee business owner estimates $1M+ in flooding losses, seeks federal aid
The business owner says he has exhausted his options for financial assistance. His insurance claim was denied, FEMA does not directly provide financial assistance to small businesses, and the U.S. Small Business Administration only offers low-interest disaster loans after a presidential disaster declaration — which hasn't happened yet.
On Wednesday, Governor Tony Evers formally requested President Donald Trump to make that declaration.
Kiesner is hoping the president will understand the situation facing small business owners like himself.
"He's a businessman, he knows —what if you lost everything and you didn't have any recourse, and didn't have any money in the bank, you didn't have anything to build yourself back up like you do now," said Kiesner.
For now, Kiesner continues cleaning and leaning on community support. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with recovery costs.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones a journalist 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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