FEMA DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OF LAKE
MICHIGAN SHORELINE DAMAGE IN THE
SOUTHEAST PART OF THE STATE.
IN TONIGHT'S INSIDE LOOK, WHY
GOVERNOR EVERS WANTS AN OFFICIAL
TALLY OF DAMAGE FROM MILWAUKEE,
RACINE AND KENOSHA COUNTIES.
THEY HAVE A COMBINED ESTIMATE OF
$30 MILLION IN DAMAGE THAT
OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF WINTER
STORMS AND LAKESHORE FLOODING
EARLIER THIS MONTH.
THE FEMA ASSESSMENT IS THE FIRST
STEP TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE
STATE WILL REQUEST A FEDERAL
DISASTER DECLARATION.
TONIGHT WE CHECK IN WITH THE
RACINE COUNTY EMERGENCY
COORDINATOR DAVID MAACK AND
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> DESCRIBE WHAT THE DAMAGE IS
IN YOUR COUNTY, IN RACINE
COUNTY, BECAUSE OF THOSE STORMS.
>> WE SAW A LOT OF DAMAGE ALONG
THE SHORELINE.
WE HAD A 2.5 MILE STRETCH ALL
THE WAY UP TO THE WIND POINT
LIGHTHOUSE THAT SUSTAINED DAMAGE
TO PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE.
WHAT I WANT POINT OUT IS THAT
MOST OF THIS ISN'T EROSION OR
BLUFF TYPE ISSUES, ALTHOUGH WE
DID HAVE ONE SLOPE OVER BY THE
ZOO BEACH WHERE WE HAVE A BIKE
PATH THAT A GOOD PORTION OF IT
FELL AWAY.
A LOT OF IT HAD TO DO WITH
STORMWATER OUTFALLS, WITH ROCKS
ALONG THE SHORELINE, CLEAN-UP OF
DEBRIS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. US, WE'RE LOOKING AT
PROBABLY OVER $6 MILLION WORTH
OF DAMAGES THAT NEED TO BE
REPAIRED.
AND THAT'S JUST RESTORATION,
RESTORING THINGS BACK TO THE WAY
THEY WERE.
THAT'S NOT INCLUDING ANY
IMPROVEMENTS OR MITIGATION
EFFORTS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THAT
A MINUTE, BUT LAKE MICHIGAN
WATER LEVELS, I UNDERSTAND, ARE
REPORTED TO BE 37 INCHES HIGHER
THAN AVERAGE WATER LEVELS IN
JANUARY.
HOW DOES THAT COMBINE WITH THESE
KINDS OF WINTER STORMS LIKE THE
ONE EARLIER THIS MONTH THAT
CAUSED THAT DAMAGE?
>> YOU KNOW, I GUESS YOU COULD
CALL THIS THE PERFECT STORM.
THERE WERE 58-MILE-PER-HOUR
WINDS THAT WERE RECORDED IN THE
CITY OF RACINE.
YOU HAD THE HIGH, VERY HIGH,
LAKE LEVELS.
YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE SHORELINE
ICE THAT USUALLY HOLDS BACK THE
WAVES THIS TIME OF YEAR.
AND SO YOU JUST HAD A NUMBER OF
COMPOUNDING ISSUES.
BUT THOSE HIGH WINDS, COUPLED
WITH THE HIGH WATER LEVELS,
CAUSED A LOT OF DAMAGE ALONG THE
SHORELINE THERE.
>> THAT MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING
TO KIND OF BEHOLD IF YOU WERE
THERE ALONG THAT SHORELINE WHEN
THAT STORM CAME IN.
>> WE ENDED UP CLOSING DOWN
PERSHING DRIVE, BUT THERE WAS
SOME SOCIAL MEDIA PICTURES OUT
THIS THAT SHOWED WHAT THE WAVES
WERE DOING THAT DAY, AND THEY
WERE VERY, VERY IMPRESSIVE TO
LOOK AT.
I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN LIKE TO SEE THEM UP
FRONT AND CLOSE.
>> NOW, WE'VE DONE SOME
REPORTING ABOUT HOW FEMA FUNDS,
EVEN IF THEY DO COME, REQUIRE
REBUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE TO
CURRENT SPECS, NOT MAKING THEM
MORE RESILIENT TO RISING WATER
OR SUSTAINED STORM EVENTS.
FIRST OF ALL, IS THAT ACCURATE?
AND, IF SO, WHAT ABOUT THAT?
>> WELL, WE DO HAVE A HAZARD
MITIGATION PLAN, AND THERE ARE,
AFTER ANY DISASTER, THERE HAS
MITIGATION FUNDS THAT BECOME
AVAILABLE THAT MUNICIPALITIES
CAN APPLY FOR, SO THEY CAN LOOK
AT MITIGATION PROJECTS AT THAT
TIME.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS
TYPE OF ASSISTANCE, THE KEY IS
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO PAY YOU
MORE THAN WHAT SOMETHING'S
WORTH.
IT'S AN EQUITY ISSUE.
AND SO THEY'RE GOING TO PAY YOU
TO RESTORE SOMETHING, NOT TO
IMPROVE IT.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING TO GIVEN
YOU WHAT IT'S WORTH.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE SAME THING
WITH INSURANCE.
YOU HAVE A CAR YOU'RE IN AN
ACCIDENT, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO
GIVE YOU MORE THAN WHAT THE CAR
IS WORTH.
>> BUT IS IT YOUR SENSE THAT
THESE KINDS OF PUBLIC
INFRASTRUCTURE INSTALLATIONS
NEED SOMETHING MORE GOING
FORWARD BECAUSE OF CLIMATE
CHANGE?
>> WELL, I'M NOT AN ENGINEER,
AND I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT
SPECIFICALLY WHAT THE CITY HAS
IN PLACE RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S A QUESTION THAT REALLY
THE CITY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
AND THEIR ENGINEERS HAVE TO
ANSWER.
YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO TAKE
ENGINEERING STUDIES TO DETERMINE
WHETHER OR NOT WHAT THEY HAVE
ALONG THE SHORELINE IS ADEQUATE
FOR THIS OR IF IT NEEDS TO BE
REINFORCED.
AND SO I'M REALLY NOT IN A
POSITION WHERE I COULD GIVE YOU
A DEFINITIVE ANSWER.
YOU KNOW, I'LL ONLY SAY THAT I
UNDERSTAND WHERE FEMA WANTS TO
PAY TO RESTORE SOMETHING, AND
IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE
OVERSEEN A DECLARATION LIKE
THIS, SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE
CURRENT RULES BUT YOU WOULD
THINK IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO PAY
THE COST TO RESTORE, BUT ALLOW A
MUNICIPALITY IF THEY WANT TO
SPEND THE EXTRA DOLLARS TO MAKE
THE IMPROVEMENTS.
I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S ALLOWED
OR NOT AND THAT'S QUESTIONS THAT
WE'LL FIND OUT IF WE REACH THE
NEXT STEP.
>> NOW, GIVEN THE HIGH WATER
LEVELS OF THE LAKE AND THE
EROSION ALONG THE SHORELINE,
WE'RE WONDERING ABOUT PRIVATE
PROPERTY, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT
THIS DAMAGE ASSESSMENT IS FOR
PUBLIC PROPERTY.
BUT WE'VE ALL SEEN THESE IMAGES
OF THESE LAKEFRONT HOMES EITHER
KIND OF TEETERING AT ERODED
EDGES OR FALLING TO THE SHORE.
IS THAT AN ISSUE IN YOUR COUNTY?
>> IT IS AN ISSUE IN OUR COUNTY,
AND THE MUNICIPALITIES AND THE
COUNTIES HAVE BEEN WORKING ON
THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE.
THE STATE'S BEEN INVOLVED.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S BEEN
INVOLVED IN IT.
IT'S NOT THE SCOPE OF THIS
EMERGENCY DECLARATION.
THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE.
AND SO WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC
SECTOR DAMAGE, PRIVATE SECTOR
DAMAGE, THE CRITERIA THAT FEMA
HAS HAS TO BE MET AND FROM THIS
PARTICULAR STORM THE CRITERIA
WASN'T THERE TO ASK FOR
INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE FOR
HOMEOWNERS.
>> IF RACINE COUNTY DOES NOT IN
FACT GET THIS FEMA ASSISTANCE,
CAN THE COUNTY AFFORD TO FIX
THIS DAMAGE WITHOUT FEDERAL AID?
>> WELL, IT'S THE MUNICIPALITIES
THAT WERE IMPACTED ON IT.
WHEN WE DID THE DAMAGE
ASSESSMENT, AT THIS TIME THE
COUNTY ITSELF HAS NOT INCURRED
ANY EXPENSES.
IT WAS THE CITY OF RACINE AND
THE VILLAGE OF WIND POINT.
AND SO THERE IS A SECONDARY
PROGRAM OUT THERE.
IT'S CALLED THE WISCONSIN
DISASTER FUND.
AND IF WE DON'T GET THE
PRESIDENTIAL DISASTER
DECLARATION, THEY MAY BE
ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT UNDER
THE WISCONSIN DISASTER FUND.
IT'S NOT AS ROBUST AS A
PRESIDENTIAL DISASTER
DECLARATION, WON'T COVER ALL THE
COSTS, BUT AT LEAST IT WOULD
OFFER SOME RELIEF.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, DAVID