Gov. Evers Sends Letter To Trump Requesting Federal Assistance

MADISON, WI — In a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers requested that Trump issue a major disaster declaration for the entire state of Wisconsin due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to a news release issued by the governor’s office, the order would cover all 72 counties in the state along with Wisconsin’s federally recognized tribes.

“The response to this virus has required a tremendous response from the state and all of its communities that far exceeds the resources currently available to us,” Evers said in the release. “By seeking this declaration, we are hopeful the state will be able to access critical programs that are needed to deal with the pandemic now, and with the recovery that will be taking place down the road.”

Evers declared a public health emergency statewide on March 12 in response to the outbreak, which, as of Tuesday, has resulted in 1,351 confirmed cases across the state and 20 deaths. On March 14, the governor directed Wisconsin Emergency Management to activate the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to provide additional coordination in support of the state’s response.

In his letter to Trump and FEMA officials, Evers requested that the federal government provide the following programs to support the state’s response: Public Assistance, Direct Assistance, Hazard Mitigation (statewide), and certain Individual Assistance programs; crisis counseling, Community Disaster Loans and the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Program.

“The response to this outbreak has caused multiple deaths, exhausted many of our resources, resulted in record unemployment claims, and taken a toll on the community infrastructure that is in place to protect the public,” Evers said in the release. “We need federal assistance to help rebuild those critical safety nets and ensure they remain strong.”

In the news release on Tuesday, Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Darrell L. Williams, indicated that a declaration by Trump would assist the state in acquiring needed resources for Wisconsin residents.