Historic Milwaukee flooding triggers emergency declaration
Mayor Johnson and County Executive Crowley mobilize emergency resources as record rainfall forces evacuations and leaves thousands facing property damage
YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW IS GO HOME. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, I’M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SEND IT OUT LIVE. WE’RE GOING TO HEAR FROM MILWAUKEE’S MAYOR, CAVALIER JOHNSON. HE’S BRIEFING THE MEDIA ON THE HISTORIC FLOODING THAT WE’VE SEEN. MORNING, EVERYBODY. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING OUT HERE ON THE NOTICE THAT WE GAVE YOU TO ADDRESS THE SITUATION THAT’S GOING ON NOW. THERE ARE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN MILWAUKEE THAT ARE DEALING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF THE FLOODING THAT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT. WE’RE SEEING REPORTS FROM SOME PARTS OF THE CITY THAT HAVE RECEIVED MORE THAN A FOOT OF RAIN, MORE THAN A FOOT OF RAIN IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THIS FLOODING EVENT, IT’S VERY SIGNIFICANT. IT’S SOMETHING THAT MILWAUKEE HASN’T SEEN AND PERHAPS A DECADE OR MORE. I REMEMBER THE LAST TIME WE HAD A FLOOD AS SIGNIFICANT AS THIS IN THE CITY, AND ABSOLUTELY CERTAINLY, I MEAN, AS I’VE TRAVELED HERE, I’VE SEEN SOME OF THE DEVASTATION MY OWN FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE TEXTED ME ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THEIR HOMES. SO I CERTAINLY FEEL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DEALING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF THIS STORM AND THE FLOOD THAT’S HAPPENED. MY HEART GOES OUT TO EVERYONE DEALING WITH BASEMENT FLOODING THAT HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH POWER OUTAGES, DAMAGE TO CARS, HAVING TREES THAT WERE UPROOTED IN AND AROUND THEIR PROPERTIES, AND A LIST OF OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED AS WELL. VERY, VERY DEVASTATING. AND AND MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL OF OUR CITIZENS DEALING WITH THAT. NOW, WE’VE SEEN SOME MAJOR PROPERTY DAMAGE. I’M GRATEFUL THAT AS OF NOW AND THERE’S NOT BEEN ANY UPDATE TO THIS, BUT APPARENTLY THERE’S BEEN NO DEATHS THAT HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FLOODS AS OF NOW. SO I’M PRAYING THAT THAT CONTINUES TO BE THE CASE AS WE AS WE MOVE FORWARD HERE. I DO ASK, THOUGH, FOR EVERYBODY TO MAINTAIN CAUTION, TO CONTINUE TO PROCEED WITH CAUTION, BECAUSE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF RISKS THAT ARE STILL OUT THERE AS WE WORK TO RECOVER AND CLEAN UP FROM THE STORM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT CITY GOVERNMENT CONTINUES ITS MAJOR RESPONSE THAT’S BEEN UNDERWAY SINCE EARLIER ON IN THIS RAIN EVENT, OUR LEAD CITY AGENCIES, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC WORKS, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, THEY’VE ALL BEEN ACTIVE AND WITHOUT INTERRUPTION SINCE THIS EVENT STARTED TO HAPPEN IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE’RE PRIORITIZING OUR SPECIFIC RESPONSES AND WE’RE VERY APPRECIATIVE OF EVERYONE’S EVERYONE’S PATIENCE AS WE WORK THROUGH WHAT HAPPENS TO BE A REALLY LONG, LONG LIST OF NEEDS THAT ARE HAPPENING HERE. MY TEAM HAS BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE ABOUT AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION, AND WE’VE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH MILWAUKEE COUNTY TO COORDINATE SHELTER, SAFETY AND OTHER NECESSITIES FOR RESIDENTS RIGHT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO I’M JOINED BY A NUMBER OF STAFF FROM MY CABINET WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING LITERALLY AROUND THE CLOCK ON THIS ISSUE, AND I WANT TO THANK FOLKS FROM MY CABINET WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS. I’M GOING TO OPEN THE MIC TO THEM FOR THEIR COMMENTS IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT FIRST, I WANT TO GIVE THE MIC TO MILWAUKEE COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID CROWLEY. SO COUNTY EXECUTIVE, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ALL FOR FOR JOINING US. AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, WANT TO REITERATE THAT OUR TOP PRIORITY REMAINS TO BE THE LIFE AND SAFETY FOR ALL MILWAUKEE COUNTY RESIDENTS. AND I’VE HAD A CHANCE TO TOUR SOME OF THE DAMAGE, BEEN WITHOUT POWER MYSELF. AND SO I WANT FOLKS OUT THERE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE SEE AND WE HEAR YOU WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE DAMAGE AND THE DEVASTATION, BUT WE ALSO WANT FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE FLOODING IS STILL AN ACTIVE EMERGENCY SITUATION ALL ACROSS MILWAUKEE COUNTY, AND THAT WE ARE EXPECTING MORE MORE RAIN TODAY AND INTO THIS EVENING. AND SO MY TEAM, WE’RE WORKING ACTIVELY WITH MUNICIPAL FIRST RESPONDERS ALL ACROSS MILWAUKEE COUNTY TO ADDRESS THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS OF THE AFFECTED PEOPLE AND TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE ENTIRE PUBLIC. AND SO WITH THAT IN MIND, I AM DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY ALL ACROSS MILWAUKEE COUNTY TO EMPOWER OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL TO DEPLOY MORE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO ACTIVATE OUR STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS TO ASSIST US WITH OUR EFFORTS RIGHT HERE ON THE GROUND WITHIN MILWAUKEE COUNTY, AND TO HELP PEOPLE BE SAFE. AND WE WANT TO DO THIS AS SWIFTLY AS POSSIBLE. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, WE WANT TO REMIND THE PUBLIC TO PLEASE, PLEASE STAY CAUTIOUS. PLEASE STAY INFORMED AND REFRAIN FROM TRAVELING. IF YOU CAN, MAKE SURE TO CALL 911 IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY. BUT PEOPLE CAN ALSO CALL 211 TO REPORT ANY PROPERTY DAMAGE, SUCH AS FLOODING IN YOUR BASEMENTS, COLLAPSED WALLS AND LIGHTNING RELATED INCIDENTS AS WELL. AND SO WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE MAY SEE THEIR BASEMENTS FLOODED. THE POLICE TAKE PRECAUTIONS, WEAR RUBBER BOOTS, WEAR RUBBER GLOVES. THERE ARE A LOT OF DEBRIS AND A LOT OF HAZARDS IN THE WATER THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT, AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE SAFE. AND SO AS WE NAVIGATE THE AFTERMATH OF LAST NIGHT’S SEVERE FLOODING AND STORMS, I AM ENCOURAGING THE PUBLIC TO STAY INDOORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND SEEK OUT EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. ASSISTANCE IF YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED IT. WE’VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE RED CROSS ALSO STANDING UP EMERGENCY SHELTERS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF HALLER PARK. AND SO IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO STAY SAFE AT THIS TIME, THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT W E DOT W I DOT GOV. AGAIN W E DOT W.GOV AND EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER HAS ALSO BEEN ESTABLISHED TO COORDINATE OUR RESPONSE EFFORTS THROUGHOUT TONIGHT AND INTO THE REMAINDER OF THIS WEATHER EMERGENCY. AND THEN LASTLY, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL. THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN STEPPING UP TO ASSIST THOSE IN NEED, STEPPING UP TO TO REMOVE DEBRIS IN THE WAY OF ALLOWING THIS WATER TO, TO GO INTO OUR SEWERS. AND SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE ALL THOSE PEOPLE, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS, AS WELL AS OUR SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS AND NEIGHBORS WHO HAVE BEEN LENDING A HELPING HAND. WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER, AND IT’S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT WE JUST STAY INFORMED AND STAY VIGILANT THROUGHOUT THIS TIME. SO PLEASE CONTINUE TO TO WATCH THE NEWS, STAY UPDATED ON FACEBOOK. BUT IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR MORE INFORMATION AGAIN, YOU CAN CONTACT 211. IF YOU NEED AN EMERGENCY PERSONNEL, PLEASE DON’T BE AFRAID TO CALL 911. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Historic Milwaukee flooding triggers emergency declaration
Mayor Johnson and County Executive Crowley mobilize emergency resources as record rainfall forces evacuations and leaves thousands facing property damage
Updated: 12:47 PM CDT Aug 10, 2025
Milwaukee officials addressed widespread flooding that left thousands of residents dealing with property damage and power outages. The flooding occurred overnight from Saturday into Sunday. According to Mayor Cavalier Johnson, parts of the city received more than a foot of rain, marking the most significant flood event in Milwaukee in over a decade.Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley detailed the city’s emergency response during a press briefing. “This flooding event, it’s very significant. It’s something that Milwaukee hasn’t seen in perhaps a decade or more,” Johnson said.The severe weather caused basement flooding, power outages, vehicle damage and uprooted trees across the city. No deaths were reported from the flooding. Johnson said his office has been in contact with the governor about an emergency declaration.Crowley announced a state of emergency for Milwaukee County to deploy additional resources and activate state and federal assistance. He warned that more rain was expected later in the day.Officials urged residents to stay indoors and exercise caution, noting that flooding remained an active emergency situation. The Red Cross established emergency shelters on the south side at Haller Park.Residents can call 911 for emergencies and 211 to report property damage like flooded basements, collapsed walls and lightning-related incidents. Officials advised those dealing with flood damage to wear rubber boots and gloves due to hazardous debris in the water.
MILWAUKEE —Milwaukee officials addressed widespread flooding that left thousands of residents dealing with property damage and power outages.
The flooding occurred overnight from Saturday into Sunday. According to Mayor Cavalier Johnson, parts of the city received more than a foot of rain, marking the most significant flood event in Milwaukee in over a decade.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley detailed the city’s emergency response during a press briefing.
“This flooding event, it’s very significant. It’s something that Milwaukee hasn’t seen in perhaps a decade or more,” Johnson said.
The severe weather caused basement flooding, power outages, vehicle damage and uprooted trees across the city. No deaths were reported from the flooding.
Johnson said his office has been in contact with the governor about an emergency declaration.
Crowley announced a state of emergency for Milwaukee County to deploy additional resources and activate state and federal assistance. He warned that more rain was expected later in the day.
Officials urged residents to stay indoors and exercise caution, noting that flooding remained an active emergency situation.
The Red Cross established emergency shelters on the south side at Haller Park.
Residents can call 911 for emergencies and 211 to report property damage like flooded basements, collapsed walls and lightning-related incidents.
Officials advised those dealing with flood damage to wear rubber boots and gloves due to hazardous debris in the water.
