The Brief
Schools and school districts in southeast Wisconsin are cleaning up after recent flooding.
The task of cleaning up is a challenge because classes will begin soon.
At one parochial school in Hales Corners, the damage is estimated to be around $1 million.
MILWAUKEE - As people deal with the aftermath of the historic flooding in southeast Wisconsin, so are schools. This comes as classes are set to begin shortly for most school districts.
Schools trying to dry out
What we know
Fans, peeled off floors, empty classrooms and busy crews are seen at Riverside University High School in Milwaukee.
Milwuakee Public Schools Board Member Mimi Reza said Riverside is among the 22 campuses in the district that suffered damage from recent flooding.
What they're saying
"Our engineers are right now on top of it and making sure that everything is in order," Reza said. "We're hoping that we are open by the by 2 September as it is again we're still trying to get more updates."
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Milwaukee schools are not the only ones affected.
Hales Corners Lutheran school damaged
What we know
There is damage to Journeys Lutheran School in Hales Corners. Several feet of water entered the building. The water caused an estimated $1 million in damage.
"The building we had poured our hearts into was laid bare to the elements. Parts were damaged. Some were broken. Others were destroyed," said Jenny Stollenwerk, head of school at Journeys Lutheran.
School officials say most of the damage will not be covered by insurance. That leaves the school in a difficult situation with the start of classes coming soon.
"We're hopeful that we will get the disaster declaration from the president and funds from FEMA," said Republican State Rep. Bob Donovan.
During a visit to Journeys Lutheran, Donovan added that he also reached out to the governor's office earlier this week for a possibility of using ARPA funds to help.
"We would hope again, if it's at all possible, that that money or a portion of it could be reallocated for things like this," Donovan said.
A GoFundMe account has been created to help Journey Lutheran School.
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While Milwaukee Public Schools was unable to provide FOX6 News with an on-camera interview, officials said they are assessing the total cost of cleanup and damage.
The Source
The information in this post was provided by Milwaukee school officials and other key players.
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