'Continuously looking': 1 month after floods, former FEMA administrator details the disaster declaration process

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- One month ago, heavy rain started to fall on southeast Wisconsin, leading to historic flooding that caused tens of millions of dollars of damage.

Now, one month later, thousands of people are hoping the President will make a disaster declaration that would free up federal aid.

The state of Wisconsin worked very quickly to gather data and submit its request for a disaster declaration. But the ball remains in FEMA's court, and the president's; so here at home, the waiting game continues.

Deanne Criswell headed FEMA from 2021-2025 and has an intimate understanding of what's happening behind the scenes right now.

She told us, "There's a full team at headquarters that's continuously looking at all of these different recommendations on a daily basis."

Criswell said FEMA is analyzing data and sending recommendations up the chain, eventually to the White House. Criswell said that work is done every single day. "They're following up with the staff at the White House and National Security Council to ensure it's moving through the process there."

Before the President signs off, several entities review the request at the White House, like the Office of Management and Budget, Homeland Security, and Public Affairs.

Criswell said, "Sometimes it takes a bit longer when it gets up into the White House chain. Because now you have a lot of other people that are looking at it for a lot of different reasons."

The key consideration is the Stafford Act: does the damage exceed what local and state jurisdictions can handle?

Wisconsin submitted its request just 18 days after the storm began. That was the quickest among the 15 states currently awaiting a disaster declaration.

But the speed of submission does not impact whether it will be approved.

FEMA was back on the ground Tuesday, Sept. 9, surveying public damage this time.

Criswell says the disasters are never ranked, though some that are especially catastrophic -like recent flooding in Texas- can get approved more quickly than others.

And she says disasters are never black and white. "You have to understand the impact to a community as part of your recommendation."

Some states have been waiting much longer than Wisconsin. For instance, North Dakota has been waiting 50 days on its request after more than 20 tornadoes hit in June, killing four people and causing $11 million in damage.

We asked the White House if there was an update on Wisconsin's request.

A spokesperson told us, "The President responds to each request for Federal assistance under the Stafford Act with great care and consideration, ensuring American tax dollars are used appropriately and efficiently by the states to supplement—not substitute, their obligation to respond to and recover from disasters."

Despite the wait, Criswell says flood victims should feel confident FEMA is doing its best to help them. "Because we don't like to see them sit in limbo, either." "If it's going to be denied, we want to let people know so they can start their planning."

So far this year, President Trump has granted 26 major disaster declarations.

They came an average of 58 days after each event. That translates to Oct. 8 for the Wisconsin flooding.