Milwaukee County residents can now apply for financial assistance to cover home damage, personal property loss or disaster-related emergency needs caused by the severe storms and flooding in April.
On June 30, the Trump Administration approved a disaster declaration from Gov. Tony Evers for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, to offer individual assistance in several Wisconsin counties impacted by severe storms, wind, tornadoes and flooding during April 13-23.
“Many Milwaukee County residents hadn’t even finished recovering from the August 2025 floods when the April storms hit,” County Executive David Crowley said in a news release. “I’m grateful they now have access to these federal resources to help them rebuild and move forward.”
Homeowners or renters whose disaster-related expenses aren’t fully covered by insurance can now apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or DisasterAssistance.gov/es in Spanish. They can also call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or use the FEMA App.
The deadline to apply is Aug. 31. According to a social media post from President Donald Trump, Wisconsin has been approved for $22.6 million in aid.
This is a projected initial figure based on preliminary assessments of home damage in the affected communities that may change as recovery costs are finalized, said Katie Rousonelos, public information officer for Wisconsin Emergency Management.
In the 19 designated counties and Oneida Nation, more than 7,100 applicants have already applied for FEMA assistance, according to a spokesperson for the agency.
According to 211 Wisconsin data included in the letter Evers sent Trump on May 22, 674 flood-related damage reports were submitted in Milwaukee County between April 14 and May 7. The most-impacted ZIP codes included 53209 and 53218, followed by 53206, 53216, 53223 and 53225.
211 Wisconsin is a free, confidential helpline and online directory that connects residents with essential health and human services across all 72 counties.
Check eligibility
FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses already covered by insurance, so residents should file a claim with their homeowners, renters or flood insurance if they have it before applying for FEMA assistance.
To be eligible for assistance, an applicant needs to be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien and your damaged home must be your primary residence.
Applicants may be able to receive assistance to cover temporary lodging, storage, vehicle repair or replacement, repairing water heaters, air conditioning and furnaces, medical and dental, childcare or other disaster-related needs.
The state of Wisconsin, Oneida Nation, the counties and FEMA are coordinating to offer one-on-one support in community spaces and disaster recovery centers around the affected areas, according to Rousonelos. Specific support in the Milwaukee-area has not been announced.
Submitting documentation to FEMA
While applying, you must provide the following information:
- Contact information
- Your address at the time of disaster and where you’re currently residing
- Social Security number
- A general list of damage and losses
- Annual household income
- Insurance policy number or name of agent/company
- Bank account information for direct deposit
Small Business Administration loans
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers loans with low interest rates and terms up to 30 years for the long-term recovery of businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters from flood and storm damage.
Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical damage loans to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, equipment or other assets. They can also apply for economic injury disaster loans to cover financial losses directly related to this disaster.
Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply to physical damage loans to replace or repair damage to homes and personal property.
Apply or find out more information by visiting sba.gov/disaster, calling the Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
The filing deadline for physical property damage applications is Aug. 31. Economic injury applications are due on March 30, 2027.
The Small Business Administration is also still accepting applications for economic injury disaster loans from small businesses and nonprofits that sustained financial losses directly from the severe storms and flooding from Aug. 9 through Aug. 12, 2025.
The deadline of June 11 has passed, but the administration will accept applications during a 60-day grace period.
Other flood-related resources
Find more information on FEMA assistance and additional resources at county.milwaukee.gov/FEMAaid.
To learn about cleanup assistance or other resources, contact 211 or the United Methodist Committee On Relief, or UMCOR, at ERT@WisconsinUMC.org.
The 24-hour Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990 offers free and confidential emotional support in multiple languages.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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