The head of FEMA, David Paulison, will be in Wisconsin Friday afternoon to assess flood damage for himself. And he'll see quite a bit.
The good news is, no new overnight flood damage in the hardest hit counties. But Lori Getter at the state Emergency operations center says other places across the southern part of the state aren't so lucky.
They're sandbagging in Cambridge, other parts of Dane County and Green County. More than a hundred homes are damaged in Kenosha County, the worst flooding there in thirty-five years.
FEMA will total up the damage in all impacted counties starting Saturday, not just in the five counties declared a state disaster by Governor Doyle.
Wisconsin was turned down for federal disaster aid two years ago when twenty seven tornadoes ripped through the state. Why would it be any different this time? Getter says wind damage is different. Insurance policies usually cover that but not flood damage. The feds may be more inclined to give uncovered flood victims some help.
As of Friday, roughly thirteen-hundred homes suffered flood damage. Forty or fifty of them destroyed. Then there are the damaged businesses and farm crops that need to be included as well.
AUDIO: Jim Dick reports ( 1:16 MP3 )
