Disaster Recovery Center to Open Monday in Green Bay

About the New Center and Where to Find It

The Disaster Recovery Center will open on July 20 at the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Public Safety Training Center, Room GBP111/113, 2565 Larsen Road in Green Bay. It will be open until August 14, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except it will close early at 3 p.m. on July 23 and July 29. Parking is available behind the training center. Brown County residents, including those from the Oneida Nation, who were affected by April’s flooding, can come for help. The center is a partnership between Brown County and the Oneida Nation, and staff from local, state, and federal agencies, not just FEMA, will be there to help you.

Another center will open the same day at the New London Public Museum for people in Outagamie, Waupaca, and Winnebago counties. Small Business Administration recovery centers are also open in Shiocton and other locations for homeowners, renters, and small businesses. If you have insurance, file a claim with your insurance company first. You may still be eligible for federal help if your insurance does not cover all your disaster losses. SBA disaster loans and FEMA grants can help with needs that insurance does not fully cover. If you do not have insurance, you can still get assistance. To check if you qualify, bring any insurance documents and denial or settlement letters when you visit a center.

At the Green Bay center, you can apply for FEMA assistance in person, talk with representatives from Brown County and the Oneida Nation, check on an application you have already submitted, learn how to appeal if you were denied, and get information about SBA’s low-interest disaster loans if your losses are more than what FEMA grants cover. FEMA funding is not only for home repairs. It also helps with personal property losses and other disaster-related costs, such as childcare, transportation, medical bills, and funeral or dental expenses caused by the flooding.

The fastest way to apply is online at DisasterAssistance.gov, through the FEMA app, or by calling 1(800) 621-3362. The physical center is there for people who need extra help, are unsure about the process, or would rather discuss major repair costs in person rather than use online forms. The deadline to apply for FEMA individual assistance is August 31. Residents should use these resources soon to ensure they receive any help they qualify for.

Why Was There a Delay?

The storms and flooding happened in Wisconsin between April 13 and April 23. Locally, there were sewer backups and standing water in neighborhoods along the East River and on Green Bay’s west side, as well as major damage in Suamico, Allouez, and Ledgeview.

In May, Wisconsin Emergency Management and FEMA did a joint preliminary damage assessment and estimated total damages at over $27 million. This included about $9.8 million in residential damage across more than 1,570 properties and over $17.6 million in infrastructure damage. Governor Tony Evers used this assessment to officially request a federal disaster declaration on May 22. The request included individual assistance for residents in 19 counties and the Oneida Nation, and public assistance for infrastructure repairs in a smaller group of counties.

President Trump approved the request on June 30, making federal individual assistance available to residents in Brown, Outagamie, Winnebago, Waupaca, and 15 other counties, as well as the Oneida Nation.⁴ This approval allowed the recovery center to open this week. Before June 30, officials were still assessing damage and working through paperwork between different levels of government. Now, residents can finally apply for help.

Photo by Andy Feliciotti / Unsplash