'I hope and pray that they help': FEMA teams go door-to-door to hear firsthand accounts of flood damage and costs

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A critical next step that's needed to potentially unlock federal disaster aid is underway.

Several FEMA teams are going door-to-door in storm-affected neighborhoods to gather information on the scope of the damage. That data could help convince the President to make a disaster declaration, which would free up relief money.

Six FEMA teams will fan out over the next several days, talking to people face-to-face about how the storm and flooding has impacted them.

It comes as many people continue to struggle getting through each day.

Milwaukee resident Dorothy Pender told us she has no idea how the water flooded her basement that night, but it left a lot of damage. "It's tragic how I had to go through that," she said.

Pender is one of thousands of people with a story of destruction.

Collette McDougal is another. She just had her basement refinished and said everything was damaged. "The paneling and the finished floors, my water heater, my furnace. And that has to come out of there."

She said the costs are "Beyond what my income is. I'm on a set income. I'm an elderly lady. I'm on Social Security."

As garbage crews cleared her curb, she told us, "It's really heartbreaking to see all that I lost."

FEMA teams are hearing many of those stories as they assess flood damage throughout the area. No relief money can be made available without FEMA starting this process.

James Jones said, "A lot of people lost a lot of things. That's bad. So that's a good thing they came out to check it out."

Six teams are fanning out to speak with people -sometimes even through doorbell cameras- about the damage they suffered and how they are impacted.

FEMA Spokesperson Cassie Kohn said, "We just want to get a snapshot of what occurred and how people were impacted by this event."

She said FEMA investigators are asking, "Did it affect mechanicals, like furnaces, water heaters? Are you able to live in your home after the disaster? Or did it destroy the structure and it's not safe to live in?"

The teams are working quickly to gather enough evidence to support an eventual request for a disaster declaration.

Last week, more than 100 local damage assessors jumpstarted the process by visiting several thousand homes. They gave that information to FEMA over the weekend and the agency started virtual assessments.

That work helped cut down on the number of properties they need to visit in person.

Wisconsin Emergency Management Administrator Greg Engle told us, "We won't visit every property, but we really need to see enough."

The state is confident FEMA will see what they see.

Engle said, "We're working as quickly as we can. We understand that people need help. They're hurting right now." He added, "Their lives have been upended by this. We've been out here, we've seen it, we know it's severe."

The damage is severe enough that most people cannot absorb the financial hits of cleaning costs, damaged foundations, mold removal, or lost furniture.

Gwen Moore invited us into her home. There is no basement, so the floodwater destroyed the first floor. Moore and her husband alternate sitting in their one remaining chair.

She told us their insurance company isn't covering any of their damage, and says the house needs a complete rebuild.

"If they want a complete gut, I see $60,000 to 70,000," she told us. We asked if that was something they could pay for. She said, "No. Not at all."

Pender said, simply, "The helpful thing would be money."

But even if everything goes according to plan, getting federal aid could take months.

Many are leaning on faith, and FEMA, to come through with a miracle.

Moore said, "FEMA will come, hopefully, and take care of what we need to be done."

And McDougal said, "We need that to pay for things that's beyond what we can pay for." She added, "I hope and pray that they help all of us that come into this loss like this."

The state has scheduled FEMA to be in the area assessing damage through at least the weekend. But it's not about the number of days they're here, but rather, is the state convinced they've seen enough damage? The teams will assess their progress each day.

In the meantime, FEMA representatives say people should keep all receipts, take inventory of damage, file insurance claims if you're covered, and call 211 to report damage.