MILWAUKEE — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could arrive in Wisconsin as early as Thursday, according to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
RELATED: Gov. Evers requests FEMA support following historic flooding in Wisconsin
In a release on Tuesday, Crowley said FEMA will conduct its Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA), a critical step toward its individual assistance program process after historic flooding across southeastern Wisconsin.
Their arrival would come a week after Gov. Tony Evers asked FEMA to conduct the assessment to determine if the flooding caused enough damage to earn a presidential major disaster declaration, which would authorize federal disaster assistance.
This critical funding is supposed to help us finish modernizing our unemployment system to help cut fraud, waste, and abuse while improving efficiency.
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 19, 2025
The Trump Administration is making it harder for us to crack down on fraud, waste, and abuse. No joke.https://t.co/3ZUlZyJBZQ
Once FEMA teams are deployed to Milwaukee, Crowley said they will visit communities to verify the county's damage assessment of private properties, focusing on key geographic areas with properties classified as “destroyed” or “major damage.”
WATCH: Drone video shows the aftermath of flooding across southeast Wisconsin
According to Crowley, more than half of the individual properties Milwaukee County officials assessed met that classification.
Additionally, municipalities are continuing to evaluate the impacts on public infrastructure, with preliminary damage estimates exceeding $34 million.
FEMA’s anticipated arrival comes the same week Milwaukee alders co-signed a letter to President Donald Trump pleading for a federal disaster declaration.
In the letter, they cited that only 5% of homeowners nationwide carry flood insurance. With many families facing rejected claims, they said they are now relying on depleted savings or aid that is not arriving soon enough.
They also added that while local and state agencies have tried to help, a federal declaration is needed to assist with long-term support.
“While local and state agencies have mobilized initial help, they fall short. A federal declaration is essential for individual aid, infrastructure fixes and long-term resilience against climate’s growing threat to our watershed region,” the letter stated.
The last time Wisconsin received a FEMA disaster declaration for a major weather event was in January 2020, when a winter storm caused Lake Michigan to flood parts of Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties.
Milwaukee residents are strongly encouraged to continue reporting to 211, which Crowley said has received more than 12,000 damage reports in Milwaukee County so far.
Crowley emphasized that anyone coming to assess damage will provide official credentials, and residents should always verify IDs before allowing anyone inside or sharing personal information.
If you are unsure or uncomfortable, keep your door closed and contact local authorities.
You can also report instances of suspected fraud by emailing StgopFEMAFraud@fema.dhs.gov or calling 866-223-0814.
