Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) on Wednesday requested funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for widespread flooding in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Emergency Management said that damage in southeastern Wisconsin met the federal threshold to receive disaster relief. The Milwaukee area saw more than 14 inches of rainfall in under 24 hours last week, resulting in large swaths of the area flooding.

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“Disastrous storms and flash flooding have displaced kids and families and damaged homes, businesses, community centers, and so much more,” Evers said in a news release. “It is absolutely critical that Wisconsin receives every available federal resource to respond and help our communities rebuild.”

The request will allow FEMA to conduct a preliminary damage assessment, the first step for a state looking to receive federal disaster relief.

“The damage caused by recent extreme weather is extensive, and it’s going to take significant time and resources to recover, repair infrastructure, and help support the folks and communities who have been affected. It’s clear we will need additional federal resources and support to do so,” Evers said.

Four rivers in the Milwaukee area — the Kinnickinnic, Milwaukee, Menominee, and Root rivers — hit record-high levels over the weekend. The Milwaukee River, which runs through downtown, saw more than 4 feet of water over flood level.

Suburban Wauwatosa saw some of the worst damage, with Evers calling flooding in the area “unprecedented.” The flooding canceled the final day of the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis. 

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Milwaukee’s public works director, Jerrel Kruschke, said the city is still assessing damage.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he hopes “that a storm like this does not visit on the city for at least another millennium.”