Senator Dora Drake (D) Wisconsin
By Senator Dora Drake
Resilience has become a common word that has been thrown around for the past five years. This city and this state have endured “once in a lifetime” tragedies that seem to only be prophetic and continuous. It seems like it was yesterday that COVID struck and we entered a pandemic that kept us home and broke our economy and way of life. Now, just this past weekend, we survived a “once in a 1,000-year flood” that has upended thousands of lives to the likes we have only seen as a result of hurricanes after we just recovered from the pandemic.
This week, I have spent time checking in and following up with residents across the Senate district and this city. What I have found is that by the grace of God, we have not lost a life, but people’s livelihoods and life’s work have been destroyed in just one evening. One of these stops occurred near Villard Avenue where I, along with Governor Evers, County Executive Crowley, and Mayor Johnson, saw the remnants of a house whose basement walls caved in because of the floodwater pressure. In the evening, as the flood grew, a wife had to pull her husband from his slumber to ensure he wasn’t flushed away. In another home, a mother just renovated her basement to have additional bedrooms for her kids, but the floodwaters rose to the level of the basement entrance, a scene similar to the waters rising in the Titanic, as the water covered the entire basement level.
While all of the residents of these homes are now safe, the financial impact that is there is obscene. As a result of these floods, one of the common themes I am hearing is the complete destruction of not just their property inside the home but also their washers, dryers, and even their furnaces. With a few months away from winter, many families and homeowners will be in a financial sprint to prepare their homes. Not only that, the damage caused by the amount of water increases the risk of homes getting mold, which can create an additional public health crisis.
We all must take action to demonstrate our strength and resilience during this time. This week revealed that despite the tragedy, Milwaukeeans have a fight to support one another like no other. While officials mobilized quickly to support and provide resources, many community leaders took to the streets to support in whatever way they could. One group of men, many of us are familiar with, went as far as to help pump water out of the basements and yards of elderly residents, unclog trash from the street sewage entrances, and remove flood water. I personally saw their service in action when they responded to an elderly woman in the district who had a pond of floodwater in her backyard, and they brought their equipment to drain it for her. In addition to this, many churches, businesses, and community organizations have mobilized disaster relief drives to provide housing, storage, food, water, and supplies.
Our community response was just as important as our government’s, and I am thankful to everyone for their urgency and response. But now it is critical for us to report and track all losses that have occurred to access federal funding. The County Executive and Governor both responded quickly to declare a state of emergency and request FEMA to take action. If you have damaged or lost any property, you must call 2-1-1 to report these damages, save all documentation, and inform your insurance provider.
It is on our federal government to respond in this time of crisis and put aside politics to support flood victims. While in Wisconsin, leaders of both parties have been coming together to advocate for these resources. You, as a community, need to hold those in power who refuse to help accountable. Many community members are frustrated with the government and politicians. They have lost faith in our system and hope for what the government can do to better everyone’s lives. Even during an emergency community forum on gun violence, the focus has been on what community-led initiatives can be done to curb gun violence and less on actual policy from the state level. It is clear and well known that we need to figure out solutions on our own.
Now is not the time to play politics in a time of disaster, but in my soul, it is disturbing to know there is always the opportunity for some leaders in power to hold back what they can do to support Milwaukee. I am telling you that we are in a time where we cannot be silent any longer and play “both sides.” Now we must be loud and apologetic if leaders fail to show up. Too many lives have been destroyed this week. People do not have the capital to replace everything, and the last thing that should be done is to put the blame on them. As a community, we must never be silent in demanding action, support, and advocating for initiatives to prepare Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin to protect ourselves from this in the future. Thank you to everyone who has stepped up for Milwaukee in this moment, but now we need to be louder and stronger to get the support we need.