Milwaukee has endured storms before, but the recent flooding was different. Climatologists say it was a one-in-a-thousand year event. The waters came fast, leaving neighborhoods vulnerable and exposing the fragility of our city’s infrastructure.
Yet in the midst of this crisis, something powerful emerged: the community rose to help itself.
Without waiting for systems to catch up, Milwaukeeans mobilized.
- Residents and businesses lending or using power equipment like pumps, shop vacs and chain saws to remove water from flooded basements and removing downed or damaged trees as waters receded
- People helping neighbors clear out debris and soaked materials from basements that flooded
- Others opened their homes, cooked meals, donated clothes, furniture, toys and food to people who lost their belongings
- Families and friends joined by community members in the search for homeless people who are listed as missing and are thought to have been swept away as floodwaters inundated their campsites
- City, county and other municipal workers and private contractors who worked extended hours to haul off and dispose of all the debris.
And, powerfully, a number of Black men stepped forward to lead efforts of coordination and care, their presence a reminder of the resilience and leadership that often rises in moments of greatest need.
Local outlets like WUWM 89.7FM, Milwaukee’s NPR took notice, highlighting the efforts of organizers like Aziz Abdullah of INPOWER, Montreal Cain of MERA, and others who refused to let their community weather this storm alone.
Their example speaks to a deeper truth: resilience is not just about enduring hardship; it’s about rising together, using our collective strength to meet challenges head-on. We salute these men and so many others getting into good trouble – in service to all.
What we witnessed in Milwaukee was not only neighbors helping neighbors. It was a model of what some call “Midwest nice.” It’s what true resilience looks like. When people step forward to protect, uplift, and support one another, it shows us that the heart of community is action, solidarity, and care.
We believe resilience is more than a response; it is a culture, a way of being. And Milwaukee continues to show us what it looks like when people rise up for one another.
