It's been a hot and humid summer, with heavy rainfall and damaging flooding. But as the temperatures cool and fall creeps in, Wisconsin's apple crop is ready to ripen.
The post Wisconsin’s apple crop looks ripe for the picking despite wet, hot summer appeared first on WPR.
As people head to the water this Labor Day weekend, Wisconsin environmental and health regulators are urging them to avoid swimming in scummy or smelly water.
The post While down slightly this year, blue-green algae blooms still trending upward appeared first on WPR.
While they may look like something out of a horror flick, disease experts say the virus causing the wart-like growths isn’t a sign of the end times.
The post Rabbits with hornlike growths spotted in northern Wisconsin appeared first on WPR.
A researcher surveys wild rice on the Pine River. (Wisconsin SEA Grant)
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that this year’s wild rice crop yield in northern Wisconsin is low, continuing a pattern of lower yields over recent years. Wild rice crops have been affected by heavy rainfall and powerful storms this year, contributing to an 18% decline in the wild rice crop compared to last year.
“The 2025 season has brought a mix of conditions, including several notable storm systems,” said Kathy Smith, Ganawandang manoomin (which means she who takes care of wild rice), with the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. “A fast-moving windstorm in mid-June produced widespread wind damage and heavy rainfall across the upper Midwest. In late June, some areas saw 6-7 inches of rain in a short period, contributing to temporary high-water levels on seepage lakes.”
Using satellite-facilitated remote sensing technology, the commission was able to determine the 18% decline in the wild rice crop. A DNR press release notes that these technologies do not provide insights into local wild rice production, bed densities, or seed production. Early scouting reports help fill in the gaps, showing a “mixed bag of production,” the agency stated, “with some top-producing lakes seeing declines in the crop from last year, while others appear to be rebounding.”
Wild rice harvesting is open to all Wisconsin residents with a wild rice harvester license. The crop provides nutritious, naturally grown food to people across the upper Midwest. Wild rice also holds an important cultural place for indigenous tribal communities. Around late August through mid-September, the rice reaches maturity. Jason Fleener, a DNR wetland habitat specialist, stresses that it’s important to wait to harvest the rice until it falls with relatively gentle strokes or knocks from ricing sticks. If no rice falls, then it’s best to wait a few more days before attempting to harvest.
Harvesting immature beds can negatively affect the overall harvest, as well as the long-term sustainability of the rice. Besides climate effects, human activity such as boating (which creates waves that uproot growing rice plants) can also harm the crop.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
The river flowing through Wauwatosa's Hart Park overflowing with flood water. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
On Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers formally requested a presidential disaster declaration from President Donald Trump to direct federal assistance to parts of Wisconsin still dealing with the aftermath of unprecedented rainfall and flooding earlier this month. The request for additional support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program includes Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties, as well as support from FEMA’s Public Assistance Program for Door, Grant, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha counties.
The move comes following joint preliminary damage assessments conducted by FEMA and Wisconsin Emergency Management in Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties, which found over 1,500 residential structures which were either destroyed or sustained major damage, racking up an estimated price tag of over $33 million. Many people lost homes, personal property or were displaced after the historic, 1,000-year storm, which dumped a summer’s worth of rain in a single day. Scientists have long warned that climate change would lead to more intense rainfall and flooding events in Wisconsin.
Local officials have been on the ground surveying flood damage across neighborhoods. “Having been on the ground to see firsthand some of the areas that have been hit hardest by the disastrous storms and flash floods that have affected folks across our state, it’s clear it’s going to take a significant amount of time and resources to recover,” Evers said in a statement. “My administration and I have been working diligently to respond and support clean-up efforts, but it’s clear more help is needed to support the people of Wisconsin and ensure we can rebuild.”
Evers is calling on Trump to “do the right thing and make the appropriate presidential disaster declaration in coordination with the preliminary damage assessment — and quickly and without delay.” The governor added that, “folks and families whose homes, businesses, schools, and community centers were severely damaged by this severe weather event are counting on this relief.”
WEM Administrator Greg Engle applauded “the swift and collaborative effort for these assessments” as “a powerful demonstration of unity between counties, the state of Wisconsin, and FEMA to get help to those in crisis after this historical flooding event…The speed and precision in which this was accomplished speaks volumes. When different agencies come together, the road to recovery reaches the people who need it faster.”
Initial damage reports collected by the state suggest that over $43 million in public sector damage occurred across six Wisconsin counties. Residents with damaged property are encouraged to save all receipts for damage repair, and to continue calling 211 to make an official record, which will also help support the case for federal support. FEMA’s ability to provide assistance to Wisconsin has been up in the air as the Trump administration threatens agency cuts . Recently, several FEMA employees were placed on administrative leave just a day after signing a public letter accusing the Trump administration of politicized firings and “uninformed cost-cutting” at the agency.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley also announced that preliminary assessments were completed by FEMA on Aug. 22, and that Wisconsin had likely surpassed the threshold to be eligible for federal support. Crowley said that residents “have shown incredible resilience in the face of this disaster,” adding that the completion of FEMA’s assessment is “an important milestone, but it’s just one step in the process toward federal assistance.” Crowley said in a statement that “we will continue to stand with our communities, fight for the resources families need, and keep residents informed every step of the way….This collaboration helps us respond to disasters with both speed and compassion.”
An emergency shelter in Milwaukee established at Marshall High School will close Wednesday due to the start of the school year. Individuals who were housed at the shelter will be moved to the Milwaukee Environmental Sciences Academy (6600 W Melvina St, Milwaukee, WI, 53216). People displaced from their homes are encouraged to call the American Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS for shelter assistance. Volunteers for clean up operations and to help staff the emergency shelters are also still needed.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
“We’re gathered here today to help people,” said Aaron Lipski, chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department, during a Monday press conference with local and state elected leaders, the American Red Cross and first responders, calling for more volunteers to staff emergency shelters in Milwaukee serving people displaced by unprecedented floods.
Lipski praised the Red Cross as “an amazing partner,” but added, “When we see them feeling the strain, we feel like we should step up and help.”
Following the historic Aug. 9-10 floods which overwhelmed the streets and infrastructure across Milwaukee County, the Red Cross opened two emergency shelters for people who could not return to their homes. Those two shelters were closed down and re-located to Marshall High School, with about 50 people reportedly depending on the shelters.
During the Monday press conference, Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the flood was particularly hard on people who already depend on strained public services, particularly unhoused people in Milwaukee.
As of Aug. 19, more than 3,400 homes were assessed as either destroyed or sustaining major damage from the flooding, which occurred as some parts of Milwaukee County received over 10 inches of torrential downpour. The estimated price tag exceeded $34 million for public property damage.
“Now, we’ve all seen the shock and the tears in the eyes of folks who’ve been affected by those floods,” said Johnson.
“The trauma’s enormous, and the sadness is really, really deep,” he added. “… all these folks, they need a place to go — a safe place to go.”
At least two people drowned during the floods, the mayor said, including 49-year-old Juan Carlos Sierra Campos, whose body was discovered in Lake Michigan the morning after the floods, and 72-year-old Isaias Serna, who was found drowned four days after the floods in Port Milwaukee. “Now, both these men apparently were unhoused individuals, and that circumstance may have been part of the reason why they ended up losing their lives,” Johnson said. Both men were reportedly known to live in the same encampment under the bridge, at the intersection of South Chase Avenue and South 1st St. Two other men from the same encampment are reportedly still missing.
“I want all of our neighbors to be sheltered, and to be sheltered safely,” said Johnson. “I want everyone within the sound of my voice to think, really take in account, about how you might be able to assist.”
Milwaukee officials are calling on local residents to pitch in however they can. Whether by opening the doors of a church or business to become a shelter, or volunteering at an existing shelter. The Milwaukee Public School district has provided emergency shelter space, Johnson said, but that will be coming to an end in just a few days when the new school year starts.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said it made him feel hopeful to see residents step up to help each other. But he also said the struggle to find shelter for flood victims shows the severity of Milwaukee’s housing shortage. “The bottom line is this,” said Crowley, “we need more safe and accessible shelter locations throughout the community so when emergencies like the floods happen, we’re prepared.”
We want folks to understand that by opening your doors, especially in times of crisis, that you can help to provide more of our residents with not only safety, but some stability, and a hope that they need during the hardest times of their lives.
– David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive.
Catherine Rabenstine, CEO of American Red Cross of Wisconsin, said that after disasters “one of the most urgent needs is a safe place to stay,” somewhere that “people can catch their breath, gather their thoughts, and begin to recover.” Many people who were displaced by the floods can only find shelter space far from their own neighborhoods, schools, jobs and support systems, she said. “It makes an already difficult time even harder.”
While the Red Cross has 14 shelter partner facilities across Milwaukee County, only two are located on the North Side “where most apartment fires occur, and where flooding recently hit the hardest,” said Rabenstine. She added, “we need to grow this network, so that no family has to wait for safety.”
Crowley, who has worked to create more affordable housing opportunities, said the flood’s impact has rippled out to touch other areas of need in the community.
“This has really shown … that we have a huge need for housing just in general,” he said. “ … whether we’re talking about people being displaced due to the natural disaster, or people being displaced due to evictions or not having enough money to actually make their rent,” Crowley told Wisconsin Examiner, “I think this shows that we need greater partnership between municipalities, with the state, as well as the federal government to really focus on housing issues.
Scientists have long warned that more intense rainfall and greater flood risks would be among the ways climate change would affect Wisconsin. Rep. Omokunde, who has worked on climate change legislation, told the Examiner, “We know that when you have fossil fuels that are burning, and they’re going into the air, it causes heavier rains. And we have to cut down our carbon emission. If it’s not more evident with these kinds of floods, it needs to be more evident now.”
Omokunde said that Wisconsin should focus on ways to capture carbon and support legislation to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050. “So let’s come to the table, and come up with a plan to say that we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
Sen. LaTonya Johnson said that although the Legislature is on break, conversations are happening around the flood aftermath. Officials are also waiting to see how the federal government assesses the damage in Milwaukee, and whether additional federal assistance will be approved. “It’s still a huge concern for us, even with FEMA’s involvement,” Johnson told Wisconsin Examiner.
While touring damage with Gov. Tony Evers, Johnson said she saw houses that had been completely washed off their foundations. ‘There is no salvaging those properties for some of those homeowners, but they still have mortgages,” said Johnson. “So what happens to those dwellings? And we know that even if FEMA does step up, their job isn’t to make people 100% whole. So what does that look like for some of those homeowners and landlords, and how do they get those properties back on the market?” With affordable housing already scarce in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, Johnson wonders what will happen “with even more houses taken off the market” due to flood damage.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
A group of 15 young people in Wisconsin is challenging state laws that they say worsen the climate crisis and violate their constitutional rights following a landmark climate ruling in Montana.
The post Wisconsin youth sue state to strike down laws they say worsen climate crisis, violate rights appeared first on WPR.
An electric car charging station. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program to build out the capacity for charging electric vehicles has been restarted after being suspended by the Trump administration early this year. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
A suspended federally funded program to expand the nation’s electric vehicle charging capacity has been jolted back to life.
Prospective developers seeking to build stations in Wisconsin and share in the state’s federal grant have until Sept. 5 to submit their proposals, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Wisconsin was one of the first states to take part in the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) project, part of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
“Our state DOT was incredibly proactive” in participating in the program, Amy Barilleaux, communications director for Clean Wisconsin, told the Wisconsin Examiner.
The state’s allotment was $78 million and 53 projects were awarded with the funds in May 2024, a state DOT spokesperson said. The department signed 39 agreements accounting for $16 million before the program was frozen earlier this year; eight projects have been completed and five are under construction.
Countermanding the push to reduce reliance on fossil fuels that have been associated with worsening climate change, President Donald Trump issued executive orders promoting fossil fuels and attempting to block measures to promote renewable energy that were enacted during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
One of Trump’s first such orders, on the day he took office, froze NEVI funding that had not been committed to projects by then.
“It should have never been paused in the first place,” Barrilleaux said. “This was money that was allocated by Congress that was ours to spend under this program.”
Wisconsin along with more than a dozen other states and the District of Columbia sued to restore the NEVI grants. A federal judge in June blocked the Trump administration from freezing the grants or withholding the money from the 14 states and D.C. that joined the lawsuit.
Barrilleaux noted that by joining the lawsuit, Wisconsin was able to benefit from the ruling that released the money.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued new guidance for the grants Aug. 11. The new guidance eliminates various provisions in the original federal program, including specifications that emphasized using renewable energy, required consumer protections and required engagement with rural, underserved and disadvantaged communities.
“While I don’t agree with subsidizing green energy, we will respect Congress’ will and make sure this program uses federal resources efficiently,” Duffy wrote in a statement.
“It’s good that we’re getting back to building out this infrastructure,” said Ben Behlke, clean technology programs manager for Renew Wisconsin. “This is a great opportunity for us to solve ‘the chicken or the egg’ issue as it relates to making charging available as adoption of electric vehicles becomes more prevalent. Beyond making this technology more accessible, electrifying our transportation is a necessary part of our effort to create a clean energy economy.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
Incarcerated people exercise in the maximum security yard of the Lansing Correctional Facility in April 2023 in Lansing, Kan. This year, several states have taken steps to install air conditioning and expand cooling measures to address sweltering heat inside prisons, but many across the country remain years away from significant upgrades. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Summer heat is bearing down on U.S. prisons, where temperatures in uncooled cells can climb well into the triple digits.
Facing growing pressure from advocacy groups, lawsuits and climate projections that show hotter days ahead, some state prison systems are moving to install air conditioning and expand cooling measures — though many facilities remain years away from significant upgrades.
But in other states, such efforts have stalled or failed. That may lead to more lawsuits in the future, experts say, even as judges may raise the bar for such cases.
An emphasis on being “tough on crime” and prioritizing other public safety measures may have contributed to less attention on prison conditions in some states. In others, slowing revenue growth and pressure to rein in corrections spending could be making new investments a harder sell.
At least two states this year, Virginia and Texas, considered legislation addressing excessive heat in prisons but neither measure became law. The Texas bill would have required the state Department of Criminal Justice to purchase and install climate control systems in all of its facilities by the end of 2032. About two-thirds of the state’s correctional facilities have only partial or no air conditioning.
The measure passed the House but did not advance in the Senate before the legislature adjourned in June.
In Virginia, lawmakers approved a bill that would have required the state corrections department to install heat and air conditioning in its prisons and to ensure cell temperatures not exceed 80 degrees. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed it, citing the cost of installation and operational burdens. Youngkin also wrote that existing state corrections data “does not substantiate the claims of extreme temperatures or health risks.”
But in Delaware, the fiscal year 2026 capital budget approved last month includes $2 million in funding to install air conditioning at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center.
These changes mark the latest actions in a long-running debate over how correctional systems respond to rising summer temperatures — an issue that affects both incarcerated people and staff. Some of the policy debates and facility updates this year follow years of advocacy and litigation over the health, safety and operational challenges posed by heat in correctional settings.
The problem of excessive heat in prisons has persisted for decades and has unfolded alongside other challenges, including chronic understaffing and overcrowding. In some cases, these problems have led to extended facility lockdowns, even during the summer months.
Stifling prison heat used to be just a Southern problem. Not anymore.
“There are people working in prisons and they have the right to work in climates that are comfortable,” said Nancy La Vigne, a criminal justice researcher and dean of the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University. “When they’re not, there’s retention issues, and it’s hard to replace staff. And when you don’t replace staff, then you have challenges in maintaining the safety and security of the facility.”
In New York, for example, correctional officers staged a three-week strike earlier this year and many didn’t return to work. Some facilities now are operating with 30%-60% fewer guards than needed, resulting in some incarcerated people getting only an hour or two outside of their cells each day.
A 2023 study published in the peer-reviewed PLOS One journal found that mortality in state and private prisons rose during periods of extreme heat, with deaths increasing 3.5% on extreme heat days and up to 7.4% during three-day heat waves. Between 2001 and 2019, nearly 13,000 people died in prison during the summer months, almost half of them in the South, though the study did not determine how many of those deaths were directly attributable to heat.
Climate change is fueling longer, more intense periods of extreme heat. Exposure to extreme heat can worsen conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and asthma, and has also been linked to worsening mental health and higher suicide rates among incarcerated people.
“Average temperatures are rising, and you’re going to have more and more states around the country where incarcerated people are held in conditions that are not livable because they’re too hot,” said Sharon Dolovich, a law professor and director of the Prison Law and Policy Program at the University of California, Los Angeles.
At least 44 states lack universal air conditioning within their prison facilities, even in regions known for sweltering summer temperatures, according to a 2022 USA Today analysis. A recent Reuters investigation also found that nearly half of state prisons across 29 states have partial or no air conditioning in housing units.
But some states are investing millions to update their prison facilities.
In North Carolina, corrections officials are working toward their goal of installing air conditioning in all 54 state prisons by 2026. To date, 33 facilities are fully air-conditioned, 17 are partially air-conditioned, and four have no air conditioning, according to its dashboard.
In California, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which operates 31 adult prisons, has spent $246 million in the past five years on cooling improvements at five prisons, according to a department spokesperson.
Lawmakers this year also approved funding for the Air Cooling Pilot Program at three facilities, with $17.6 million allocated for fiscal years 2025-26 and $20 million for fiscal years 2026-27. It will evaluate the effectiveness of two alternatives prior to a statewide plan to address high indoor temperatures across the California prison system.
Public pushes DOC to apply law, reduce the number of people returned to Wisconsin prisons
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, as of Aug. 1, is building 12,827 “cool beds,” or prison cells in air-conditioned units, and is in the process of procuring an additional 7,162, according to its dashboard.
Texas is one of the states most closely associated with heat-related deaths in prison. A 2022 study estimated that, on average, 14 deaths per year in Texas prisons are associated with heat. And a Texas Tribune analysis found that at least 41 incarcerated people died during a record-breaking heat wave in 2023.
In March, a federal judge ruled the extreme heat in Texas prisons is “plainly unconstitutional,” but declined to order immediate air conditioning, saying the work could not be completed within the court order’s 90-day window and temporary systems might delay a permanent fix.
Sweltering summer heat can turn prisons into pressure cookers. People inside already may have health conditions, limited access to cooling, or take medications that make it harder for their bodies to handle the heat. And research suggests that high temperatures can heighten irritability and aggression, sometimes fueling more conflicts between incarcerated people or with staff.
“It makes you more miserable. … If you to the point of even thinking about suicide, that’s just going to add to it,” said Ronald McKeithen, who spent 37 years incarcerated in Alabama prisons and is now the director of second chances at the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. McKeithen recalls feeling “on edge” due to tension among other incarcerated people on hot days.
At the Oshkosh Correctional Institution in Wisconsin, Devin Skrzypchak said the heat worsens his bladder condition, and he often can’t get the incontinence briefs he needs. The heat forces him to drink more water, and on days when ice isn’t available, he’s left drenched in sweat.
“At times, it’s a living hell. … It can be very excruciating,” Skrzypchak wrote in a message to Stateline through the facility’s messaging platform.
At times, it's a living hell . . . It can be very excruciating.
– Devin Skrzypchak, who is incarcerated at Oshkosh Correctional Institution in Wisconsin
D’Angelo Lee Komanekin — who has spent about 25 years in and out of different Wisconsin corrections facilities — said prison architecture plays a major role in why temperatures inside climb so high.
“The planet is getting hotter and hotter,” said Komanekin, who relies on a small plastic fan to stay cool. Komanekin also is incarcerated at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution. “They’re doing nothing about the architecture. Some institutions’ windows open, some don’t, but most of the doors have steel doors with trap doors.”
Older prison designs that rely heavily on steel and concrete building materials often trap heat, making it difficult to keep temperatures down in the summer. Aging facilities also are less likely to be equipped for the installation of central air conditioning.
Some state prison systems, including Alabama’s and Wisconsin’s, are adding air-conditioning or air-tempering systems to new prison construction and major renovation projects.
Legal experts say the issue of excessive heat in prisons is likely to become more pressing as climate change drives longer and hotter summers.
Extreme heat in correctional facilities has already been the subject of litigation in dozens of states, with plaintiffs arguing that high temperatures constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Court rulings in these cases have varied, but some experts say even more lawsuits are likely if facilities do not adapt.
“The conditions are going to worsen. [Incarcerated people are] going to be looking for every possible avenue for assistance they can,” Dolovich, the UCLA law professor, told Stateline.
One of the latest cases comes from Missouri, where the nonprofit law firm MacArthur Justice Center filed a class-action lawsuit in May on behalf of six incarcerated people at Algoa Correctional Center.
The lawsuit alleges that the conditions violate their constitutional rights under the Eighth Amendment. It seeks to require the Missouri Department of Corrections to work with experts to develop a heat mitigation plan that keeps housing unit temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees. If the department cannot meet that standard, the plaintiffs are asking for the release of three of the incarcerated people who have less than a year remaining on their sentences.
Lawsuits such as the Missouri case often focus on claims that extreme heat worsens existing medical problems. To proceed, they must meet two legal requirements: proving the heat poses a serious health or safety risk, and showing prison officials knew about the danger but failed to address it, according to Dolovich, whose work has focused on the Eighth Amendment and prison conditions.
Courts may also raise the bar for proving such claims if judges echo decisions in cases with similar Eight Amendment arguments related to the death penalty and homelessness, Dolovich said. Judges have shifted, she said, toward a “superadding terror, pain and disgrace” standard under the Eighth Amendment — a higher threshold requiring proof that conditions were created with the intent to cause unnecessary suffering.
Dolovich added that some recent court decisions have provided only narrow remedies, such as ordering ice and fans instead of installing air conditioning.
“Prison officials have a moral and a constitutional responsibility to respond to changing conditions. In this case, it means air conditioning. … Anything less than that, to me, is indefensible.” she said.
Stateline reporter Amanda Hernández can be reached at ahernandez@stateline.org.
Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
A Milwaukee street flooded by the storms that swept the city Aug. 9 to Aug. 11, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Anne Tuchelski)
The scale of damage in Milwaukee County left behind after unprecedented flooding last week is beginning to come into view. Over 300 volunteers from the county’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), and local partner organizations have assessed 3,434 homes for property damage from a storm that brought upwards of 10 inches of rain to some areas. As of Monday, 53% of the homes inspected have been categorized as “destroyed” or having sustained “major damage.” Public infrastructure has sustained more than $34 million in damage, according to preliminary evaluations
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley thanked local agencies for assisting in recovery and damage assessment efforts in a press statement Tuesday.
“I joined our damage assessment teams in the community last week and spoke directly with residents affected by flooding,” Crowley said. “I’ve heard your stories, your challenges, and your calls for help. But I also heard your resilience and witnessed neighbors helping one another. That spirit of service is what defines Milwaukee.”
The Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs announced Tuesday that teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will arrive Thursday to visit communities, accompanied by state personnel. The teams will verify damage. Teams will interview homeowners, renters and business owners to document property damage and the impact of the storms and flooding. Their work will help determine the extent of damage and inform the state’s request for federal assistance.
“The safety and well-being of Wisconsin residents is our top priority,” said Gov. Tony Evers in a press statement. “These severe storms have caused significant hardship, and we are committed to ensuring that those affected receive the support they need. The collaboration between state and federal agencies through this damage assessment process is critical to unlocking the resources necessary for recovery.”
After FEMA completes a preliminary damage assessment, the agency’s regional administrator will make a recommendation on whether the president should declare a disaster, allowing for federal disaster assistance to be sent to Milwaukee County and other Southeast Wisconsin communities.
Over 12,000 calls have been made to 211 in Milwaukee County, and residents are encouraged to continue reporting damage to that number or to make an online damage report here. The data will be used to persuade the Trump administration that Milwaukee requires federal assistance.
Community and local government organizations are continuing cleanup efforts, and volunteers are encouraged to register at Crisis Cleanup, a program providing free service to those in need. Emergency shelters established by the Red Cross have also served dozens of residents displaced by the flood. The Milwaukee Health Department is reminding people to assume any standing water in the street or around homes is contaminated with sewage, and to avoid the spread of mold in homes, which can be harmful to health.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is also advising that people seek “trustworthy” contractors, and to keep an eye out for scammers. “Vulnerable consumers are often targeted by scammers,” said department Secretary Randy Romanski. “Property owners should stay alert and that quick and easy fixes may be too good to be true.” People should especially be cautious of door-to-door crews which use “high pressure tactics to solicit business”, the department warns.
The rain that fell overnight on Aug. 9 overwhelmed roads, highways, and neighborhoods. Many people were forced to abandon their cars on the roads as the water rapidly rose. Firefighters worked to rescue people whose homes had become inundated, as residents were forced to brave the downpour to check on vulnerable loved ones.
In Wauwatosa, Hart Park looked as if it was underwater, and wetland habitats in the County Grounds natural area were swallowed by water and became small lakes. The Wisconsin State Fair closed early as rain fell, pooling water to knee or waist level as people waded to their cars. Local dumps have seen lines of cars stretching down the block, and filled with damaged furniture, clothing, and equipment.
Some Milwaukee residents expressed that they didn’t feel the city was prepared for the level of flooding. Researchers have long-warned that climate change would bring more intense rainfall and greater risks of floods in Wisconsin. In 2020, it was estimated that 273,400 homes in Wisconsin were at substantial risk of flooding, nearly twice what FEMA estimated.
Flooding also severely affected other parts of southeastern Wisconsin. State agencies warned that following the floods, the Waukesha County dam was at a high risk of failure, and would need to be reinforced.
FEMA teams have also been inspecting other communities in southeastern Wisconsin. The Wisconsin National Guard was also deployed to parts of the state, assisting with rescue and recovery efforts, and providing specialized vehicle support.
Greg Engle, the WEM administrator, said on WISN Channel 12’s “UpFront” program Sunday that federal assistance was likely to take time.
FEMA’s help is “going to be critical because we don’t have a similar program here in the state,” Engle said, adding that, “we want to get that assistance to our families and folks in Wisconsin, but I will say it’s not immediate.”
Engle said that state teams are working as quickly as they can, and that the FEMA Region 5 team from Chicago has been helpful, and federal personnel have embedded with the state emergency management agency to provide support with planning and training.
“We expect they’re going to be very supportive, but I cannot guarantee that we’ll get approved for a disaster declaration,” he said.
Asked Tuesday about the ongoing flood recovery efforts and the possibility of FEMA sending assistance, Sen. Tammy Baldwin replied that “confident and Trump administration are two phrases that I don’t necessarily always put in a sentence together.”
Baldwin said that she believes that “the president has said very disparaging things about FEMA before the start of his term. He even talked about abolishing FEMA and the responsibility should gravitate towards the states after a natural disaster. He’s changed his tune as he’s wont to do, especially after the Texas flooding, so I want to keep his feet on the fire, hold him accountable as we face significant damage in Southeastern Wisconsin.”
The senator described touring communities to see the damage first hand and pledged to continue pushing Trump to send federal aid to Wisconsin.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson joins city health department officials on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, to give updates about the flood recovery efforts. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
Milwaukee County continues to process the aftermath of a historic flooding that swept through the area last weekend. Although much of the flood water, which exceeded 10 inches in some areas, has receded, emergency shelters are still providing services to people displaced by the extreme weather, and community clean-up efforts continue.
At a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Cavalier Johnson said residents should call 211 to report property damage, which he called an important step towards achieving an official disaster declaration, which in turn could provide additional resources. Johnson said local officials continue to work with state and federal partners to access resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and noted a recent visit to the city by Gov. Tony Evers.
“We’re asking for the federal government to do their part and issue some relief to the folks here in Milwaukee with some assistance from FEMA,” Johnson said. The city continues to wait for President Donald Trump’s administration to respond to Milwaukee’s calls for support. Johnson encouraged residents to report downed trees, abandoned vehicles, standing water and to check on neighbors or loved ones.
The mayor praised Milwaukeeans for “stepping up,” helping senior citizens to clear out basements and clearing out storm drains. “We really appreciate the efforts of people all across our city who are stepping up to make this a safer place for everybody as we work to get through the aftermath of the storm,” he said. “We’re a resilient city, we always have been, we always will be, and we will get through this together.”
Johnson was joined by Mike Totoraitis, commissioner of the Milwaukee Health Department. Totoraitis said that calling 211 “is your best connection to resources at this point,” noting that “there are some large wait times on 211 during those peak hours.” Like the mayor, Totoraitis said that calling 211 is also one of the best ways to essentially convince the federal government to send assistance. “We know that many people have lost water heaters, furnaces, furniture, personal effects, there is a lot of damage that has happened,” he said. “Drive through neighborhoods across the city and see just debris and items out on someone’s driveway. So this is a critical moment to get those damage reports in, and then we’re also using that to help prioritize where we’re going to bring additional resources.”
Working with the Red Cross and other partners, Totoraitis said that the city is deploying hundreds of cleaning kits and other supplies. Meanwhile, the health department is monitoring signs of disease. Totoraitis said residents should assume any standing water in the streets or in homes is contaminated with sewage and avoid it.
The Red Cross has established two shelters, one on the near North Side and another on the South Side, to help people displaced by the flood. Dozens of people sought assistance from the shelters, a Red Cross worker told Wisconsin Examiner. The two locations have recently been consolidated into one shelter now operating out of Marshall High School, according to a Red Cross worker.
On Monday, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley thanked first responders, Evers, and the National Guard for assisting. “I know this is an incredibly challenging and devastating time for many of our residents, but I’m inspired seeing neighbors helping neighbors, businesses stepping up to support those in need, and the tireless dedication of our first responders and emergency management personnel,” said Crowley. “Milwaukee County is a strong and resilient community, and I know that by coming together, we will persevere.” On Tuesday, Crowley walked through storm-damaged neighborhoods near Brown Deer with officials from the county’s Office of Emergency Management.
On Wednesday, Wisconsin Policy Forum released a report warning that severe flooding could become more frequent. “Over the past 45 years Wisconsin has seen a dramatic increase in damage caused by flooding, as the climate has warmed, extreme rains have become more common, and urban development has continued,” the report states. “Increased flooding in turn has resulted in larger payouts on flood insurance claims, as well as increased federal and state payments for disaster recovery. With projections suggesting that continued climate change will further increase the likelihood of extreme rains, federal, state, and local governments will need to deal with the consequences.”
The report shows that during the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, flood insurance damage claims for property in Wisconsin exceeded $40 million. Severe floods that struck Milwaukee in 2008 caused nearly $50 million in flood insurance damage claims. “Current projections show that the frequency of heavy rain events and the potential for devastating floods will continue to grow over the coming decades,” the report states. “Property owners, along with state and local governments, will be on the hook for the costs of cleaning up and rebuilding after these floods occur. As costs grow, they may begin to stress state and local budgets, especially if state leaders decide to cover a growing share of the rebuilding costs. In addition, there are some questions about the federal government’s long-term commitment to covering these costs, which may push additional costs onto the state.”
Many people are continuing to wrap their minds around the scale of the flood damage. When Evers visited Milwaukee County, he was joined by Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) on a tour of the area Vining represents. Wauwatosa produced some of the most dramatic images of flood damage, with most of Hart Park seemingly underwater and overflowing wetlands in the County Grounds natural area.
Vining said in a statement that “the damage is serious, and the pain across the community is real. Let’s be good neighbors and take care of each other during this difficult time.”
Anne Tuchelski, a 29-year-old lifelong resident of Milwaukee in the Bay View neighborhood, saw people stepping up to help one another as a summer’s-worth of rain fell in the middle of the night last weekend across Milwaukee. Tuchelski realized something was wrong after her neighborhood’s main intersection was completely flooded. “I’ve never seen it like this,” she told Wisconsin Examiner. “My gutters were just pouring out and just slamming on the pavement…I’ve never seen this before.”
Tuchelski’s 85-year-old grandmother, who has also lived in Milwaukee for her whole life, had never seen such a storm before either. Tuchelski drove to her grandmother’s house in the middle of the night to check on her. The water was rising dramatically.
“That was really the kicker, was that it was happening in the middle of the night,” she said. Driving down the darkened, flooded roadways, Tuchelski saw people stranded in their cars. From 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. she used her SUV to offer people rides and to push stalled vehicles out of the water, “helping wherever I could.”
Tuchelski recalled one woman whose car was stranded in floodwater near the freeway. She’d left home to pick up her son, and needed her car to go to work in the morning. Tuchelski tried to get her to understand that her vehicle was flooded, and that the tow truck she’d decided to wait for likely wouldn’t come because of the scale of the disaster.
“It was just really heartbreaking to see her try to come to terms with the fact that the next day is going to change greatly,” Tuchelski said. She offered her a ride, but the woman refused. “It’s like she wasn’t grasping that nobody can come right now. Everybody’s overwhelmed, everybody’s doing their best, and the car’s gone. And you’re standing in the middle of the intersection at 3 o’clock in the morning. She just couldn’t grasp it, and I ran into multiple people like that who just could not grasp it.”
Another person Tuchelski encountered was in a U-Haul truck attempting to move their things, and seemingly unable to accept that it was all already gone or ruined. “I kept saying to her, ‘You have to leave it,’ and she’s like, ‘My stuff, my stuff,’ and I was like, ‘We can’t. It’s underwater.’ So it was just a repeated thing with people, where they just could not come to terms with leaving their belongings behind for their own survival, and their own well-being.”
Tuchelski herself lost many family tapes, pictures and dresses in the flood. Tuchelski’s family has lived in Milwaukee for over a century. Her grandmother’s basement is still flooded, and so is Tuchelski’s aunt’s basement. “My grandmother’s home has raised five generations of family,” said Tuckelski. “And just to see things float by and be damaged, it was really heartbreaking … Things that make our family, and have recorded these moments, and have become important to us, just floating by.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
Four New Nuclear Reactors and Forever Radioactive Waste in Calhoun County, Texas First Intervention Against SMRs in the U.S. LONG MOTT, Texas – This week, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper (Waterkeeper) intervened to stop four proposed experimental nuclear power reactors targeted for Long Mott, Texas – a community in coastal Calhoun County – the first …
The post San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper Challenges appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.
People arriving at one of Milwaukee's drop-off centers with all manner of debris from the August 2025 floods. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
A line of cars filled with mattresses, downed tree limbs, chairs, dressers, and rugs could be seen outside a Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) drop-off center on Lincoln Avenue Monday morning. Inside, long dumpsters were being filled with the ruined remains cleared out of roadways and people’s homes after flood waters blanketed swaths of Milwaukee County on Aug. 9 and 10.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson joined DPW Commissioner Jerrell Kruschke at the dump site to provide updates about the flood response Monday. “Some of these stories that we’re hearing are truly, remarkably sad,” said Johnson, recalling that the first message he received was from his uncle, whose basement was filled with water. From the North Side to the South Side, west towards Wauwatosa and east towards Lake Michigan, the flood quickly engulfed roadways and homes.
“So my thoughts are with everybody, everybody who is dealing with issues trying to clear out a basement, folks that are enduring power outages, trying to sort out, figure out what to do with the car that has been flooded through,” said Johnson. “We’re working through the process of obtaining some disaster declarations so we can bring the appropriate aid to those citizens who have been affected by the downpour.”
Gov. Tony Evers has activated the Wisconsin National Guard to assist efforts in Milwaukee County. It’s unclear at this time what role, if any, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will have in Milwaukee, as the level of damage needs to meet a certain threshold in order for the agency to be activated. The agency has also been threatened with funding cuts and possible shutdown by the Trump administration.
Johnson stressed that the weekend storm, which dropped over 10 inches of rain in some areas, was extremely rare. Timmerman Airfield recorded over 14 inches of rainfall. “I think I said the other day that last time something like this happened was about a decade or so ago,” the mayor said. “I certainly hope that a storm like this is not visited upon this city for at least another millennium,” he continued, referring to the weekend storm being called a “thousand year flood.” Kruschke echoed the mayor’s comments about the rarity of the massive flooding over the weekend. Johnson said he’d heard on the news that it dropped essentially “a summer’s-worth of rain” in a single storm.
Yet research on climate change has long-predicted that Wisconsin would experience increased rain, more intense storms, and greater risks of flooding. In late 2020, a report from UW-Madison and state health workers warned that climate change in Wisconsin would mean more rainfall over fewer days, which would likely cause flooding. The report noted that the weather changes could have a cascade of health effects including heat stroke from increased heat (which also fuels more powerful storms), asthma and insect-borne diseases. In 2021, severe storms downed hundreds of trees in Milwaukee County. The following summer, communities across Wisconsin experienced heat waves, heavy rainfall, high winds and tornadoes over a couple of days, during which time people died from heat stroke, or after being swept away in flood waters during heavy rainfall. By 2022, global CO2 levels exceeded 400 parts per million, a red line which scientists warned would spur even worse effects.
Answering a question from Wisconsin Examiner about the climate trends, Kruschke said that heavy rainfalls have been documented for a long time, and that DPW is relying on historical data. Kruschke said that the city was not prepared for the volume of rain that fell so quickly. As for whether the city can adapt to future weather patterns, Mayor Johnson said, “I’ve been thinking about this since this storm happened.”
Johnson praised the DPW’s work with the Milwaukee Metro Sewerage District (MMSD) to create infrastructure to capture rainfall when it hits the ground. “So when you look at our construction projects in the city of Milwaukee, when you see bioswales in the street, that’s to make sure that we keep rain out of sewers. That’s to make sure that we keep rain out of people’s basements. When you see MMSD working to make improvements at the parks in order to capture more rainwater there, that’s in order to make sure that we plan for events like this. When folks are going out to install rain barrels in their neighborhood, that’s in order to make sure that we stop things like this. When you have folks out in the city, like they were during this flood event, making sure that the sewer grates are clear so that water is better able to get into the sewers and not in people’s basements, all of these things play a role, and all of these things make a difference.”
Johnson said the city will continue investing in “green infrastructure” from roadway design to the creation of outdoor classrooms that, in addition to providing experiential learning to K-12 students, also capture rain. “There’s a lot of work that’s going into this,” said Johnson. “I just imagine what this would’ve turned out if we hadn’t done that work over the past number of years. I mean, who knows how many hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions of gallons of storm water that we were able to capture that didn’t end up in the streets, that didn’t end up in people’s basements.”
The city and county are continuing to assess the full scale of the damage, including how many homes have been affected and people displaced. Monday morning, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office stated in response to an inquiry from the Wisconsin Examiner that there had been no deaths directly linked to the flooding. However, the Milwaukee Police Department’s Harbor Patrol did find a 49-year-old Native American man, identified as Juan Carlos Sierra Campos, who drowned in Lake Michigan on Sunday morning. An investigation is ongoing.
Kruschke said the public works department will continue working normal hours (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.), and operate special trash disposal procedures for people clearing out damaged or ruined property. Fees will be waived for city drop-off centers, with the centers operating free of charge until Aug. 17. Drop-off centers will also be open Mondays, when they would normally be closed. The drop-off centers are located at 3878 W. Lincoln Ave. and 6600 N. Industrial Road.
A small number of street sweepers are out on the roadways, and some communities are deploying dump trucks and other vehicles to assist. DPW is also offering special pick-ups for storm-damaged material. Among the items that will not be accepted are explosive or flammable products, propane tanks, large gas appliances, fluorescent light bulbs, wet or oil-based paint and material or vehicles from contractors or businesses.
Libraries, including the West Allis Library, are offering WiFi and computers for people unable to use their own. Cars that were swept away or abandoned during the floods may have been towed to alternate locations so as to not overwhelm the city’s usual tow yards. The city does not have a count of the number of cars towed or abandoned. Overnight parking enforcement will be suspended Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Residents are encouraged to avoid wading through flooded areas or standing water. The possibility of contaminated water or hidden debris makes wading unsafe. The Red Cross has also opened two shelters for people who have been displaced by the flooding. The shelters are located at the Washington Park Senior Center (4420 W Vliet St.) and at Holler Park (5151 S. 6th St.).
People gather near the bridges in the Wauwatosa village to observe the still rushing flooded river and storm damage. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
Neighborhoods across Milwaukee County are continuing to recover from record-shattering flooding over the weekend. Inundated basements, entire portions of Wauwatosa seemingly underwater, people fleeing the Wisconsin State Fair which shut down early amid rising floodwater and reports of cars literally floating away down roadways all followed the torrential downpour which began Aug. 9.
The National Weather Service recorded 5.74 inches of rain Saturday, eclipsing the previous single-day record for Milwaukee of 1.64 inches of rain. Meteorologists say that Saturday was Milwaukee’s second wettest day in 154 years of record keeping. Additional rainfall brought the total up to nearly 7 inches, with some areas expected to get over 10 inches of rain. Researchers have long-warned that increased and more intense rain and flooding would be among the ways climate change would manifest in Wisconsin.
Casey Serrano, a resident of Milwaukee’s North Side left the home she shares with her boyfriend around 8 p.m. Saturday about an hour after the rain started. When she returned around 1 a.m., she saw water in the basement “coming out of our main sewer drain that was covering maybe a quarter to a third of our basement, maybe an inch deep.” During the night, the water rose to nearly 2 feet of “brown runoff from the street,” she said.
Serrano woke up to find there was no power in her home. “Our immediate street is not flooded, and did not flood last night,” she told Wisconsin Examiner. “But the streets surrounding us flooded pretty heavily.” When she went out on Silver Spring Drive to get supplies, she saw “within like a 20-block radius of our house there were cars that had clearly floated down Silver Spring.”
“Thousands in Milwaukee are facing flooding after last night’s storms,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson wrote on X. “Avoid flooded roads — moving water is dangerous. City crews and first responders are working nonstop. Neighbors are stepping up to help neighbors.” The mayor posted that the city was coordinating with Gov. Tony Evers and Milwaukee County on emergency aid and shelters. “Milwaukee is strong,” Mayor Johnson posted. “Together, we’ll get through this.”
Across Milwaukee County, emergency responders were overwhelmed as the flooding created a cascade of issues with natural gas, debris and power outages. “Very busy night for [Milwaukee Fire Department] & many other FD’s!”, Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski posted on X. “Over 600 responses between 8pm-7am: numerous fires, water rescues, & many other weather-related emergencies.”
Video shared with Wisconsin Examiner by Casey Serrano, a City of Milwaukee resident who experienced severe basement flooding after the storms on August 9th and 10th, 2025.
Online videos showed cars trapped on flooded roadways and highways. People attending one of the final days of the Wisconsin State Fair were filmed wading through water to leave the fairgrounds. Around 10 p.m. on Sunday the sky began to light up with a new wave of lightning, heralding more rain. Over 18,000 people reportedly lost power during the storms.
“Flooding is still an active emergency situation across Milwaukee County, and we are expecting more rain today and into this evening,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a press statement Sunday. “I strongly urge our residents to stay cautious, stay informed, and refrain from traveling. Check in on your neighbors and loved ones, especially older adults, and seek out emergency assistance if needed. I am thankful for our first responders, law enforcement partners, social services workers, and neighbors who are lending a helping hand during a challenging time. We will get through this together, Milwaukee.”
Local officials are warning residents not to walk into floodwater, as it may be contaminated or be near downed electrical wires. In some areas, the water had strong currents capable of sweeping people away. Those cleaning up debris are encouraged to wear gloves and proper protection, and residents are encouraged to limit water usage (such as by holding off on washing dishes or doing laundry) to reduce the risk of wastewater backing up into basements.
The suburban city of Wauwatosa produced some of the most dramatic images of flooding throughout the county. According to the Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD), over 500 calls were received by their dispatch center with issues ranging from flooded out basements to blocked storm drains to traffic incidents due to standing water. WPD says there have been no reports of serious injuries, though several major roadways and intersections remain affected and impassable.
Hart Park, near the Wauwatosa Village, is closed, and police are encouraging people to avoid the area. Sunday afternoon, many people were seen walking through the village area and parts of Hart Park to observe storm damage. Large debris was strewn along the railroad tracks, and reports indicate that the Menomonee River flowing through Hart Park rose from a little over 1 foot high to over 14 feet in a matter of hours. Sunday afternoon the water level was still high, with rushing water ripping through the park continuing to damage green spaces and concrete bike paths. Wauwatosa squad cars used loudspeakers to declare the area closed due to a state of emergency.
Video posted to social media of the flooding in Wauwatosa by Bobby Pantuso, including drone footage by Pantuso (shared with permission).
Traffic control issues were also reported by the Waukesha Police Department, with the Fox River also under close observation. Waukesha Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Capt. Nicholas Wenzel said in an email statement that the department was “dealing with flooding across the county,” and that no injuries or missing persons had been reported.
For Serrano, the flood is an unprecedented experience. She anticipates costly repairs, including ripping out wood paneling in her house.
Serrano is also concerned about what the flooding means for the city. “I think that my main concern is that the city is completely unprepared to deal with this, and I think it’s really willful on their part to be honest,” she said. Serrano, who used to work for the city’s sewage department creating and analyzing data maps, thinks city budget and staffing cuts have adversely affected emergency preparedness. She blames Act 10, which has limited public employees’ collective bargaining rights since 2011, arguing that it has contributed to staffing shortages and out-dated technology for city departments most responsible for preventing floods, and dealing with their aftermath.
Act 12, which mandates that staffing and funding are maintained for the Milwaukee Police Department, also exacerbated the imbalance between police and other departments including Public Works, she said.
“At any point, the Common Council could stand up for residents of this city — especially residents of the North Side,” Serrano said, “and say we’re not going to deal with this anymore. We are going to fully fund these departments so that they have the right materials and the right resources to fully staff themselves, to fully hire.”
Jessika Trancik, a professor in MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, has been named the new director of the Sociotechnical Systems Research Center (SSRC), effective July 1. The SSRC convenes and supports researchers focused on problems and solutions at the intersection of technology and its societal impacts.
Trancik conducts research on technology innovation and energy systems. At the Trancik Lab, she and her team develop methods drawing on engineering knowledge, data science, and policy analysis. Their work examines the pace and drivers of technological change, helping identify where innovation is occurring most rapidly, how emerging technologies stack up against existing systems, and which performance thresholds matter most for real-world impact. Her models have been used to inform government innovation policy and have been applied across a wide range of industries.
“Professor Trancik’s deep expertise in the societal implications of technology, and her commitment to developing impactful solutions across industries, make her an excellent fit to lead SSRC,” says Maria C. Yang, interim dean of engineering and William E. Leonhard (1940) Professor of Mechanical Engineering.
Much of Trancik’s research focuses on the domain of energy systems, and establishing methods for energy technology evaluation, including of their costs, performance, and environmental impacts. She covers a wide range of energy services — including electricity, transportation, heating, and industrial processes. Her research has applications in solar and wind energy, energy storage, low-carbon fuels, electric vehicles, and nuclear fission. Trancik is also known for her research on extreme events in renewable energy availability.
A prolific researcher, Trancik has helped measure progress and inform the development of solar photovoltaics, batteries, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and other low-carbon technologies — and anticipate future trends. One of her widely cited contributions includes quantifying learning rates and identifying where targeted investments can most effectively accelerate innovation. These tools have been used by U.S. federal agencies, international organizations, and the private sector to shape energy R&D portfolios, climate policy, and infrastructure planning.
Trancik is committed to engaging and informing the public on energy consumption. She and her team developed the app carboncounter.com, which helps users choose cars with low costs and low environmental impacts.
As an educator, Trancik teaches courses for students across MIT’s five schools and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing.
“The question guiding my teaching and research is how do we solve big societal challenges with technology, and how can we be more deliberate in developing and supporting technologies to get us there?” Trancik said in an article about course IDS.521/IDS.065 (Energy Systems for Climate Change Mitigation).
Trancik received her undergraduate degree in materials science and engineering from Cornell University. As a Rhodes Scholar, she completed her PhD in materials science at the University of Oxford. She subsequently worked for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. After serving as an Omidyar Research Fellow at the Santa Fe Institute, she joined MIT in 2010 as a faculty member.
Trancik succeeds Fotini Christia, the Ford International Professor of Social Sciences in the Department of Political Science and director of IDSS, who previously served as director of SSRC.
Some Walworth County residents are worried their lifestyle could be affected by a proposed natural gas power plant.
The post Developer looking to build new natural gas peaker plant in Walworth County appeared first on WPR.
(WASHINGTON, DC) — Today, it was reported that the Trump administration is preparing to cancel $7 billion in federal solar grants intended to help low- and moderate-income families access rooftop and community solar. The decision would eliminate the Solar for All program, a cornerstone of recent federal efforts to lower energy costs and expand access to clean …
The post Sun Day Responds to Trump’s Attempt to Kill $7B in Solar Grants: “A Direct Attack on American Families” appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.
When a grand, old tree is cut down, it can take generations to replace it. Now, Madison officials are trying to protect those trees with updated rules for construction projects.
The post Big, old trees take decades to replace. A Madison ordinance aims to save them. appeared first on WPR.
U.S. Reps. Tom Tiffany said both the U.S. and Canada need to change forest management practices to harvest more trees and adopt modern technologies that “can detect fire very early on” and help suppress them.
The post As Canadian wildfires harm Wisconsin air quality, GOP leaders blame Canada’s forestry efforts appeared first on WPR.
Wisconsin’s governor, environmental advocates and climate researchers say the Environmental Protection Agency is abandoning science in its proposal to weaken regulation of climate pollution.
The post Gov. Tony Evers says EPA abandons science as it moves to end greenhouse gas regulations appeared first on WPR.
Login