Washington approved the much-awaited disaster declaration for flood-damaged Wisconsin last week, but its immediate effect will not likely be felt for some time, and if other communities’ experiences with FEMA are an indication, disappointment is a possibility.
Under the declaration, individuals, families, and businesses in Crawford, Dane, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Sauk and Vernon counties are now eligible to apply for FEMA aid.
If you registered with FEMA after the August flood, you will now be required to do so again. The first time was to gather information on the extent of the disaster. A second registration will trigger a FEMA inspection and, if accepted, a check.
Losses can be reported online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362.
It will be helpful to have the following information handy:
• Current telephone number
• Address at the time of the disaster and current address
• Social Security number, if available
• A general list of damages and losses
• If insured, the name of insurance company, agent and policy number, and bank routing number for any direct deposit.
• Routing number for checking and savings account for direct deposit of any fund.
Receive a property inspection.
Within a few days after registering, eligible applicants will be called to make an appointment to have their damaged properties inspected. The inspectors, who are FEMA contractors and carry identification badges, visit to make a record of damage. They do not make a determination regarding assistance. There is no cost for the inspection.
Then each applicant will receive a letter from FEMA regarding the status of his or her request for federal assistance. Some will also receive an application for a low-interest disaster recovery loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Anyone who has questions about the letter from FEMA should call the helpline (800-621-3362 or TTY, 800-462-7585).
Those who receive an application packet from the SBA should complete and submit the forms. No one is required to accept a loan, but submitting the application may open the door to additional FEMA grants.
None of this is likely to move quickly. Congress must still appropriate funds, and the state must submit a plan regarding how they will be distributed. The state can take on that task, but a more likely scenario is it will be divided among the counties and managed by the county’s emergency management department.
Clearly the name of the game is “wait.” It has been more than six weeks since Gov. Walker announced no-interest loans for homeowners and businesses impacted by the flooding. But as of yet, there is no way to apply for the funds. Mark Maley at Wisconsin Economic Development Council said the agency has sent a contract to the Mississippi Valley Regional Planning Commission to manage the program and is waiting for it to be returned.
The maximum FEMA can pay out for residential loss is $33,000, but it rarely covers 30 percent of that. The average check is between $4,000 and $8,000. It will pay only to return the home to habitable condition and will not cover any loss unless it is over 50 percent of the home’s value. Homes that received FEMA funding in the past are not eligible for the program.
Small businesses are not served by FEMA. They must seek help from the SBA, from which they can apply for low-interest loans and possibly grants from FEMA’s grant program and other federal programs.
FEMA aid to communities is also strictly limited to critical infrastructure. Roads, bridges, water and sewer systems and building providing essential service (fire stations, for example) often qualify for funding.
While Puerto Rico remains a disaster and victims of last year’s Hurricane Harvey still live in tents, one would hope for better results here. But don’t expect speed. Under President Trump, at least one-third of all FEMA positions remain unfilled, and Congress has yet to appropriate any disaster funding for 2018.
