Jack Williams, a man from Gays Mills, walking near his home. | Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Floods: FEMA Begins AssessmentsFor immediate weather updates: text "weather" to 79008. Flood Coverage: Audio: Video: Houses Swallowed Phone contacts: Links: County Releases: Flood Warnings: Throughout southeast Wisconsin until Saturday COLUMBUS, Wis. (AP) -- Darrell Augustine stood outside his screen printing business on the edge of the swollen Crawfish River on Thursday and shook his head as federal officials looked over the damage left by days of severe flooding. The 46-year-old said he had slept barely 10 hours since Saturday because he had to constantly refuel the eight sump pumps draining his building. "You never know what's coming," he said. Augustine's shop was one of the first stops for Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration officials as they fanned across southern Wisconsin to gauge damage from this week's heavy rains, tornadoes and floods. The teams conducted visual checks, gathered information on how many people were insured and got a sense of how taxed state and local resources have been, FEMA spokeswoman Hannah Vick said. The damage assessments are a first step in the process of declaring a federal disaster. Gov. Jim Doyle will use the information to bolster a request for a federal disaster declaration from President Bush, which would free up grants, low-interest loans and other forms of assistance. Vick said the agency didn't have a timetable for completing its work in Wisconsin, but was working quickly. Information on storm-related problems in coming days can be added later, she said. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. |
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