Authorities from Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County and other communities in Wisconsin hit hard by last month's flooding began mobilizing Sept. 12 to help residents take advantage of federal assistance, a day after President Donald Trump indicated on social media that he would authorize that federal relief.
Trump's Sept. 11 post on the social media platform Truth Social indicated that he had spoken with Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and, "based on his request," would approve $29.8 million for Wisconsin "to help them recover from the major storms and flooding they experienced in August."
County Executive David Crowley's own Sept. 11 message about the flooding, posted at about the same time as the president's, did not mention federal relief. On Sept. 12, however, Crowley followed up with a message welcoming the news, citing a Wisconsin Examiner report.
"It’s good news President Donald J. Trump approved Wisconsin’s request for a major disaster declaration," Crowley said. "This action will deliver relief and support to the residents, families, business owners, and service workers who were impacted by this extreme weather event."
Wauwatosa also updated its website on Sept. 12 and issued guidance on social media to flood victims who might qualify for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.
"Residents and business owners of Wauwatosa who were impacted by flooding in August 2025 may be eligible for federal disaster assistance," the city said on its website. "Individual Assistance is available to help with costs that insurance does not cover, such as temporary housing, home repairs, cleaning and sanitizing, or limited replacement of personal property."
Property owners interested in applying were instructed to visit DisasterAssistance.gov.
It wasn't clear why Trump's announcement did not coincide with immediate communications from local officials. Those officials gave no indication that they had been informed of the president's decision or the FEMA assistance before he posted about it to social media.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Tony Evers told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the governor's administration had not heard from the federal government as of Sept. 11 afternoon, though Johnson said he had received the news directly from the president, a fellow Republican.
"Thank you to President Trump for continuing to deliver BIG TIME for Wisconsinites," Johnson said on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
Wauwatosa was one of the communities most severely affected by the Aug. 9 and 10 flooding from torrential rain that leaked into basements, overwhelmed storm sewers and raised the Menomonee River by 13 feet to flood stage in a matter of hours.
On Aug. 21, Crowley announced that FEMA representatives had begun visiting Milwaukee-area neighborhoods to help assess the damage and to determine whether it merited a presidential disaster declaration — state and local officials said it did.
The following week, at a meeting of the Wauwatosa Common Council, City Administrator James Archambo said nearly 6,000 people had called 211 to report flood damage to public officials as part of the effort to secure access to FEMA aid.
The city has estimated that more than 500 homes and more than 50 businesses were affected by the flooding, particularly those near the Menomonee River. The city also tallied an estimated $9 million in damage to public infrastructure and recreational facilities, mostly at Hart Park.
"Thank you to Governor Tony Evers and Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation for working across the aisle to advocate on behalf of our communities," Crowley said in his Sept. 12 update. "I also remain grateful to our emergency management, public health, and first responder teams for their tireless work during this challenging time."
Get additional Tosa Forward News coverage of the 2025 flood here.
