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Menasha tornado recovery, temporary housing challenges
As Menasha families pick up the pieces, one family tells FOX6 they’re now facing a second crisis...that's finding an affordable place to stay.
MENASHA, Wis. - As Menasha families pick up the pieces, one family said they are now facing a second crisis. That is finding an affordable place to stay.
The Miske family lost almost everything when the storm hit. Now, exhausted and displaced, they said trying to secure a roof over their kids' heads is making a nightmare situation even worse.
Finding temporary housing
What we know:
"This is like our nightmare come true," Jamie Miske said.
Through the piles of debris and broken foundation, Jamie Miske said, "We pretty much lost our home."
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The Miske family is picking up the pieces of what is left from their Menasha home after an EF-3 tornado tore through the city Monday.
Miske family
"Physically, mentally just worn out," Cruz Miske said.
Like many families in the area, the Miske's have no power. With the home now being in bad shape, the Miske family said they had to shower at a Planet Fitness.
Finding a temporary place to stay for them and their kids has been challenging.
"We're trying to cram people into hotel rooms or get two hotel rooms when they're double pricing," the Miske family said.
With high demand, the family said they paid about $200 for a room that normally averages $75.
"They're price gouging because they're claiming that on their app, they're charging $11,000 a month because your insurance will pay," the Miske family said.
Price-gouging statute
What we know:
FOX6 News reached out to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to find out if rising costs are legal.
Their response reads in part: "Wisconsin's price gouging statute only goes into effect if the Governor issues an executive order certifying that the state (or part of the state) is in a 'period of abnormal economic disruption' due to an emergency."
In the case, the DATCP said there is no such order being enforced at this time.
Tornado aftermath
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"We're in crisis, and it just makes everything more difficult than what it has to be," the Miske family said.
Through the broken windows of their home, the Miske's said they are trying to stay hopeful.
For local families facing displacement or housing hardship, visit the Winnebago County Tornado Event Information and Resources webpage.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Abril Preciado and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Miske family, Jamie Miske, and Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).