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Yes.

Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin declared a state of emergency on April 12, 2023, because of rising risk for wildfires. Six days later, the governor declared a state of emergency due to impending flooding caused by heavy rain and melting snow.

The first executive order allowed the state Department of Natural Resources and the Army National Guard to respond in case of wildfires, including the mobilization of the guard’s Blackhawk helicopters to vulnerable areas.

On April 18, 2023, Evers again issued an executive order related to predicted flooding, this time citing “rapidly melting snow” and “highly saturated soil from persistent rainfall.” That order also directed the Army National Guard to stand ready to help. 

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

State of Wisconsin Press release: Gov. Evers declares state of emergency due to elevated wildfire conditions

NBC15 DNR: Red flag warning, wildfire risk declares state of emergency

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Extreme fire danger continues for Friday, April 14

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Risk of wildfire by season

The State of Wisconsin | Office of the Governor Executive order 184 on flooding

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Jacob Alabab-Moser / Wisconsin WatchFact Checker

Jacob Alabab-Moser joined as Wisconsin Watch’s fact checker in September 2022, as part of the effort by The Gigafact Project in partnership with different state-level news outlets to combat misinformation in the 2022 midterm elections. Jacob has several years of experience as a fact checker and research assistant at a variety of organizations, including at The Gigafact Project. He holds a BA from Brown University and is pursuing a MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science.