What Happens After A Federal Disaster Declaration?

In the flurry of activity that takes place after an actual disaster occurs, the next logical question is often “What happens next?” The purpose of this article is to review when and how disaster declarations come about and what support residents and communities can receive.

The path to federal assistance after a flood or non-flood disaster follows the general process outlined below:

1. Incident Occurs – Severe weather or other type of disaster causes damage.
2. Initial Damage Assessment – Local authorities collect data related to the extent of damage within a jurisdiction. State authorities activate additional resources and emergency response plans.
3. Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) – Joint state and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) teams assess damage and interview affected individuals.
4. Damage Report Submission and Federal Review – The state submits a declaration request to FEMA, and it is referred to the president for review and decision.
5. Disaster Declaration – If criteria are met, the president approves the disaster declaration.
6. Federal Assistance Available – When a disaster is declared, it is declared at the state level. At that time, citizens and municipalities within impacted counties become eligible to apply for funding. Federal disaster assistance funding comes in two forms, Individual Assistance (IA) and Public Assistance (PA), but not all declarations award both types of funding.

The state of Wisconsin has requested and received two presidential declarations over the last 12 months. The first declaration was for the August 2025 flood event that occurred in the southeastern part of the state, and IA was received. The second disaster declaration was after April 2026 severe weather that occurred across the central and northeastern parts of the state, and both IA and PA were received.  

The tornado that impacted Appleton, Neenah, Fox Crossing and Menasha on July 27, 2026, has not received a declaration yet and it is unclear if it will. There was a lot of damage from the event, but the metric that determines a presidential declaration is uninsured damages over a designated threshold. Tornado damage is typically covered by a property owners’ insurance, and unlike flood insurance, property insurance is something that almost everyone has and retains, which may play into whether this tornado event becomes a declaration or not. 

Public Assistance (PA)

Public assistance comes in the form of supplemental, reimbursement based, grants to state, tribal, territorial and local governments, and certain types of private non-profits so that communities can quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies. PA is "supplemental" in that it does not cover 100% of the recovery costs and typically requires a cost match percentage.

PA projects might include:

• Restoration of damaged roads and bridges
• Repair of public utilities and water systems
• Emergency debris removal from obstructed public roadways and infrastructure
• Restoration of infrastructure like buildings and equipment such as schools, hospitals and facilities providing community services

Individual Assistance (IA)

Individual assistance is offered to eligible individuals and families affected by a disaster who have uninsured or under-insured necessary expenses and serious needs. It is not a substitute for flood and/or homeowners insurance and is not intended to compensate for all losses caused by a disaster. The assistance is to meet immediate basic needs and supplement out-of-pocket disaster recovery efforts. The average payout for IA for recent disasters in Wisconsin was $5,000.

IA may be used for:

• Disaster case management
• Crisis counseling
• Disaster unemployment
• Disaster legal services
• Renting temporary housing
• Repair of uninsured or under-insured homes
• Repair or replacement of personal property and vehicles
• Miscellaneous items like moving and storage, medical, dental, childcare, funeral, etc.

Information For Property Owners And Tenants

The average disaster assistance payout is between $4,000-$5,000. This amount may not cover everything lost in a disaster and is why a separate flood insurance plan is so important to consider. See Floodsmart.gov for more information about flood insurance. It is important to document all damaged possessions before disposing. It is helpful to do a video walkthrough of your home before a disaster happens so all furnishings, appliances and electronics are documented – having this information helps with the claims process.

Swift Current – Flood Mitigation Assistance

FEMA Announces $600 Million To Help Communities Reduce Flood Risk

Mitigation Activities Save Lives And Reduce The Cost Of Future Disasters

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a new $600 million funding opportunity for states, territories and Tribal Nations to make their communities safer from flooding.

This assistance is available through the Fiscal Year 2026 Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current funding opportunity. The program was specifically designed to expedite funding to states, territories, and Tribal Nations that recently experienced a severe flooding disaster. This funding is important for communities across the nation because floods are the most common and costly type of natural disaster.

FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current program funds community-led projects to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage to structures and buildings insured by the National Flood Insurance Program.

Application deadlines vary. States, tribes or territories must have received a federal flood-related emergency or major disaster declaration between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2027, to be eligible for this funding cycle. For each qualifying flood event, FEMA will provide a deadline to eligible applicants.

Comprehensive information on the Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current funding opportunity including eligibility criteria, application deadlines, cost-share and other essential details is available online at FEMA grants .

Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) is administering the program in Wisconsin. Additional questions and applications can be directed to WEM at DMAWEMHazardMitigation@widma.gov .

Floodplain Training Days

The DNR will be offering multiple regional floodplain training opportunities to local village, city and county officials that administer floodplain zoning. The training will include the following floodplain topics:

• Ordinances
• Mapping
• Permitting
• Violations & Enforcement
• Audit Overview
• Post-Disaster Actions
• Mitigation Funding
• NFIP & Private Insurance

Registration is required for these trainings. If communities intend to register more than one person, each person must submit a form. If you have registration or content questions, please contact Sarah Galster, State NFIP Coordinator, at Sarah.Galster@wisconsin.gov.

Training Details

Dec. 3, 2026 – Madison, Wisconsin

• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• State of Wisconsin Hill Farms Office Building
• 4822 Madison Yards Way, Madison, WI 53705  

Dec. 9, 2026 – Washburn, Wisconsin

• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Bayfield County Courthouse, County Board Room
• 117 E. 5th St., Washburn, WI 54891

Dec. 17, 2026 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin  

• 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Lake Tower, 3rd Floor Conference Room
• 4001 S. 6th St., Milwaukee, WI 53221

Zoning Board Of Adjustment/Appeals Workshop

The Center for Land Use Education is hosting a workshop for boards of adjustment and boards of appeals (county governments have a board of adjustment and cities, villages, and towns with village zoning powers and town zoning have a board of appeals). All local zoning boards of adjustment and appeals members are encouraged to attend the workshop. Additionally, local town, county, city and village officials, plan commission and zoning committee members and zoning staff are encouraged to attend the workshop.

This workshop will discuss how zoning board members act like judges and how their decisions impact communities. The workshop will take a deep dive into variance decisions, covering the legal standards for granting a variance, how to incorporate town recommendations within decisions, and create legally defensible decisions. Additionally, the workshop will work through variance scenarios and also include a brief introduction to conditional uses.

Registration is required. Registration costs are $30 per person through Oct. 6 and $35 per person starting Oct. 7. Preorders for the Zoning Board Handbook can be made during registration for a fee of $30 each. They will be distributed at the workshop.

Workshop Details

Oct. 13, 2026 – Pittsville, Wisconsin

• 5:30 to 8 p.m.
• Pittsville Community Hall
• 5291 Third Avenue, Pittsville, WI 54466

Workshop Topics

• Zoning: What does it do and why do some communities adopt it?
• Role of the zoning board of appeals or adjustment
• Variances: legal standards and applying them to scenarios
• Conditional use introduction
• Creating legally defensible decisions
• Working through variance scenarios

For registration questions, please contact University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point Continuing Education at uwspceweb@uwsp.edu or 715-346-3838. For workshop content questions, please contact Lynn Markham, Land Use Specialist, Center for Land Use Education Lynn.Markham@uwsp.edu.

Estimated FEMA Risk Mapping, Assessment And Planning (RiskMAP) Status

• Discovery: FEMA and the RiskMAP project team meet with representatives from the communities to gather information on local flood risk priorities and any available data.
• Project Kickoff Meeting: The RiskMAP project team may hold this meeting to introduce communities to project specifics and scope of work prior to data development.
• Data Development: If a study is funded, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling is completed and the latest LiDAR topographic data is acquired for mapping.
• Flood Risk Review (FRR) and Resilience Meetings: When data development is finished, draft flood hazard data is presented to the communities for review and any non-regulatory products (e.g., flood depth and analysis girds, changes since last FIRM, and/or areas of mitigation interest) that were created are also made available.
• Preliminary Flood Map Release: Once preliminary products (FIRMs and the FIS) have been released, they can be viewed at FEMAs Map Service Center by selecting the appropriate county and community from the jurisdiction menu.
• Consultation Coordination Officer (CCO) Meeting and Public Open House: After preliminary release, the CCO meeting presents the new mapping to local officials, followed by an open house for the public to view the changes.
• 90-Day Comment and Appeal Period: Following two public notices in a local newspaper, this 90-day period allows the opportunity for comments and appeals to be submitted on the updated maps. Appeals must meet standard requirements, and any submissions should be routed through community zoning administrators prior to review.
• The Letter of Final Determination (LFD) and Effective Date: FEMA sends the LFD letter to the community’s chief executive officer stating that the final notice of flood hazard determinations will be published in the Federal Register and the new or updated FIRMs and FIS will soon reach effective status. The receipt of this letter starts the 6-month adoption phase of the process. This is where communities need to update their floodplain ordinances to incorporate the updated FIRMs and FIS by the federal effective date to remain in good standing in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Currently, most communities also update their floodplain zoning ordinance language so that the current regulations meet state and federal minimum standards. DNR floodplain staff can set up a draft floodplain zoning ordinance for the community to review. This assistance is provided by the DNR, to communities, free of charge. If you are interested, please email DNRFloodplain@Wisconsin.gov .

RiskMAP Project Timeline Dates

The table below details the timing of the Risk Mapping Meetings and anticipated Letter of Final Determination start dates for upcoming projects.

* – Dates are subject to change

N/A – projects with mapping needs previously identified or projects initiated by communities may follow a variation of the typical RiskMAP project timeline.

Burnett, Price, and Sawyer Counties have all had a project kickoff meeting and are all funded through the 90-Day Appeal Period with funding after that to be determined. St. Croix, Pierce, and Forest Counties as well as the Wolf Watershed (Outagamie and Waupaca Counties) have had project kickoff meetings and will all have Flood Risk Review & Resilience meetings, but funding beyond that stage is yet to be determined.

About The Wisconsin Floodplain Management Program

The Program's goals are to protect life, health and property; to minimize costs for flood control projects; to reduce tax dollars spent for rescue, relief and repair of flood damage; to shorten business interruptions caused by flooding; to prevent future flood blight areas; to discourage victimization of unwary land and home buyers; and to prevent increased flood levels caused by unwise floodplain development. Municipalities (counties, cities and villages) implement the statewide floodplain standards under Chapter NR 116, Wis. Adm. Code.

About The Wisconsin Shoreland Management Program

The goals of the Shoreland Zoning Program are to protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation and natural beauty. Counties implement the statewide shoreland zoning standards under Chapter NR 115, Wis. Adm. Code. The standards apply only to unincorporated land that is within 1,000 feet of the ordinary high water mark of a lake, pond or flowage, within 300 feet of the ordinary high water mark of a river or stream or to the landward side of the floodplain, whichever distance is greater.

Contact Us

Floodplain: Sarah (Rafajko) Galster, Sarah.Galster@wisconsin.gov

Shoreland: Sue Vanden Langenberg, Susan.VandenLangenberg@wisconsin.gov

Dam Safety: Uriah Monday, Uriah.Monday@wisconsin.gov

Floodplain and Shoreland Management Notes is published by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Waterways Bureau. The purpose of the newsletter is to inform local zoning officials and others concerned about state and federal floodplain management, flood insurance, shoreland and wetland management, and dam safety issues. Comments or contributions are welcome. Please send comments to DNRFloodplain@wisconsin.gov.

This newsletter is supported by funding through the FEMA Cooperative Agreement as part of the Community Assistance Program-State Support Services Element of the National Flood Insurance Program. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the federal government.