Gov. Jim Doyle announced Tuesday two Wisconsin counties will receive money to repair and rebuild homes after a record number of tornados hit the southern part of the state in August.
Richland and Vernon Counties will receive a grant totaling more than $820,000 to help low and moderate income families whose homes were damaged or demolished in tornados.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied a request on Sept. 23 that was submitted by Doyle for assistance after 27 tornados struck Dane, Richland and Vernon Counties. The tornados caused more than $47 million in damage and left 67 homes destroyed and upward of 400 damaged.
"In the wake of the decision by the federal government to deny Wisconsin disaster relief, it made coming up with money on the state level even more critical so we can help these families of low and moderate income rebuild their homes and their lives," Doyle spokeswoman Anne Lupardus said.
Many of the families whose property sustained damage in the two counties were underinsured or uninsured, Lupardus added. However, the funding will only go to people who fit into a lower income level.
The funding will be provided through the Community Development Block Grant's Emergency Assistance Grant Program, which is federally funded. The money will then be administered by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, DOC spokesman Tony Hozeny said.
"There are 58 homes involved that are occupied by moderate and low income families that were damaged in the tornados," Hozeny said. "Some houses can be repaired, but some were completely destroyed and those will have to be replaced."
Richland County Board of Supervisors member Jeanetta Kirkpatrick said residents affected by the tornados have barely begun to repair and rebuild their homes due to a lack of resources.
"Most of them are making due with tarps on their roofs and are trying to put their lives back together one small piece at a time," Kirkpatrick said.
Some residents who did have homeowner's insurance still have to make up the difference between what the insurance company pays out and the actual cost of repairing or replacing their homes. This funding from the Emergency Assistance Grant Program will help cover this difference and will also assist uninsured homeowners.
"If it weren't for that, the homeowners would be in a real predicament," Kirkpatrick said. "They were really relying on FEMA to make up the difference between what was being paid by insurance and what was not."
Areas denied federal emergency relief money have the right to appeal the decision by FEMA. However, Doyle has not yet appealed the rejection, though Lupardus said he will file an appeal before the deadline is over.
"We're hoping that [FEMA] will reconsider their decision because a lot of these families have been really hard-hit by this disaster and the federal government should do their part, especially since the state is stepping up and doing theirs," Lupardus said.
Kirkpatrick said the denial of FEMA funding was a "political move," adding Bush ignored the damaged area in the state because the tornados weren't "a big enough disaster to be on his radar."
Despite this setback, the residents affected by the tornados are looking to the future so they can rebuild and continue with their lives.
"It's really important that the money, and hopefully more, can come through so that these victims of the tornado can have a dignified place to live," Kirkpatrick said.
Though the Stoughton area of Dane County was also severely damaged by the tornados, the county did not apply for or receive any grant money from this fund because it must apply directly to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The grant money received by Vernon and Richland Counties can only be dispersed to rural areas hit by natural disasters. Since Dane County is considered urban, it must follow a different procedure in order to get alternative federal assistance.
