CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) announced today that $1,621,377 in federal funding has been made available to Milwaukee County for costs related to the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic under the federal disaster declaration on April 4, 2020.
This funding will reimburse Milwaukee County for costs to manage and reduce immediate threats to public health and safety related to the pandemic. Their efforts included disinfection of public facilities, communications of safety information to the public, and support for law enforcement and security. Milwaukee County also distributed personal protective equipment and provided emergency sheltering for populations at high risk of COVID-19 infection.
“FEMA’s Public Assistance Program is an important resource for communities affected by COVID-19,” said Kevin M. Sligh, acting regional administrator, FEMA Region 5. “This funding has allowed the County to continue their mission of providing critical emergency response services to Milwaukee area residents, while slowing the spread of COVID-19 in their communities.”
“We are thankful to FEMA for their ongoing and collaborative support in the fight against COVID-19 in Milwaukee and throughout our great state. This funding will go a long way toward recovery efforts in Milwaukee, as we continue to drive equity throughout this vaccination process,” said Dr. Darrell L. Williams, Administrator, Wisconsin Emergency Management.
FEMA provides a 100 percent federal share of eligible reimbursable expenses for this project.
FEMA’s Public Assistance Program provides funding to local government jurisdictions and eligible private non-profits for the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged infrastructure as well as costs incurred for emergency actions taken to protect lives or property. To learn more, visit FEMA’s website at www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit. For more information about FEMA’s COVID-19 vaccine support efforts, visit www.fema.gov/disasters/coronavirus/vaccine-support.
FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.