Vilas opens disaster recovery centers to help residents with storm damage claims

A disaster recovery center will open Monday, Nov. 9, in Vilas County to assist residents suffering from uninsured property losses and emergency needs caused by severe storms and tornadoes on July 27.

The temporary center will provide in-person support to connect affected residents with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), guide applicants through federal relief forms, provide status updates, and explain the appeals process. The facility will operate across two municipal locations in Vilas County ahead of the Dec. 7 application deadline.

The center will be open at Lincoln Town Hall in Eagle River Nov. 9-11 and Nov. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Nov. 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The town hall is at 1205 Sundstein Road.

On Nov. 18-19, the center will open at Land O’ Lakes Town Hall, 4331 Highway B, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The recovery center is part of a broader $17.9 million federal disaster assistance package approved for storm-damaged Wisconsin communities, prioritizing individual recovery grants and low-interest loans for Vilas and Forest counties. Federal grants can cover basic home and roof repairs, temporary housing, and uninsured disaster-related expenses such as medical, dental, transportation, and personal property losses. In addition to household assistance, Vilas County is eligible for Public Assistance funding on a federal cost-sharing basis, allowing local governments, tribal authorities, and eligible private nonprofits to fund emergency work and repair public infrastructure.

Statewide assessments conducted by FEMA and Wisconsin Emergency Management documented 2,346 damaged residential structures — including 84 destroyed and 412 with major damage — resulting in more than $8.2 million in residential losses, alongside $13.8 million in public-sector damage. This includes damage that occurred in Winnebago and Outagamie counties.

FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Hannah Penn is directing federal recovery operations across the state following major disaster requests supported by Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, led by U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, (R-Wis).

Officials noted that residents are not required to visit a recovery center to receive assistance. Before seeking federal aid, applicants must first submit claims through their private insurance policies. Residents can register online at disasterassistance.gov, via the FEMA mobile app, or by calling the helpline at 800-621-3362.

Within 10 days of submitting an application, homeowners and renters may be contacted by an official FEMA inspector carrying agency photo identification to verify damage on-site, followed by a formal eligibility decision notice issued within 10 days of the inspection.