Assume any fallen line is energized, even if it is not sparking, humming or moving.
Stay at least 35 feet away and keep children and pets back.
Never drive over a downed line, and never try to move one with a stick, rope or anything else.
If a line falls on your car while you are inside, stay in the car and call 911. Only get out if it catches fire — and if you must, jump clear with both feet together, never touching car and ground at once, then shuffle away.
Treat every intersection with a dark traffic signal as a four-way stop.
Report downed lines to We Energies at 800-662-4797, or 911 if someone is in immediate danger.
Full guidance · Grand Chute Police Department · updated Jul 27, 4:00 PM
Burn ban still on in Neenah & Menasha — lifted in Fox Crossing Neenah · Menasha
No outdoor burning, including debris and brush, in Neenah or Menasha. Fox Crossing rescinded its burn ban on 18 August.
Do not burn storm debris, brush or yard waste outdoors in Neenah or the City of Menasha.
Fox Crossing has rescinded its burn ban as of Monday 18 August. Normal burning rules apply there again — check the Village's own permit requirements before lighting anything.
This applies even to small or contained fires — the ban does not distinguish by size.
Take debris to a municipal drop-off site or curbside pickup instead — see the Cleanup & Debris Removal section for your community's process.
Neenah and Menasha will announce publicly when their bans lift; no personal notice will be sent.
Full guidance · Village of Fox Crossing (ban rescinded 18 August); Neenah and Menasha not confirmed either way · updated Aug 20, 10:30 AM
The overnight curfew appears to be over Menasha · Fox Crossing
Fox Crossing lifted its curfew on 18 August. Winnebago County has since removed every mention of a curfew from its tornado pages. Menasha has not published a formal end, but nothing current says one is still in force.
Fox Crossing: lifted. Ended Monday 18 August by declaration of the Village Administrator. Ordinary trespassing and loitering rules still apply.
Menasha: no longer posted anywhere. The county has dropped it and Menasha's own storm page has not been updated since 31 July. We are no longer telling you there is a curfew here.
If you need certainty — because you work nights, or you are worried about being stopped — ring Menasha Police on 920-967-3500 and ask. It is a fair question.
The streets are still not safe to wander after dark. Streetlights are out in the damaged blocks and downed conductors are invisible at night. That was always the real reason to stay in, and it has not changed.
If you are displaced and have nowhere to be tonight, overnight sheltering is still listed at Appleton North High School, 5000 N Ballard Rd, Appleton.
Full guidance · Village of Fox Crossing (lifted 18 August); Winnebago County tornado pages (no curfew listed as of 20 August) · updated Aug 20, 10:30 AM
Find help, fast
Everything in one place — shelter, food, water, power, cleanup crews, insurance and how to help. Search below, or browse by what you need.
129 resources·17 categories·18 on the map·Updated Thursday, August 20 at 10:30 AM CDT
If you need help right now
The fastest routes to a person who can help you today.
211 Wisconsin — help finding anything else
Open
Free, 24/7, confidential. A real person helps you find shelter, food, medical care or financial help.
If you are not sure who to call, call this. 211 is staffed around the clock by people whose entire job is connecting you to local help, and they have live information on what is open.
Dial 211 from any phone
Text your ZIP code to 898211
Or use the website to search
Free and confidential. Interpretation is available in many languages.
511 Wisconsin — live road closures
Open
Official statewide closure and incident map. Check it before every trip.
You do not have to be suicidal to call 988. If you are overwhelmed, panicking, cannot stop shaking, or cannot think straight after what happened, that is exactly what this line is for.
Call or text 988 from any phone
Chat online at 988lifeline.org
Press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line
Spanish-language support available
Free and confidential.
Crisis Cleanup — free volunteer help with trees and debris
Open
One call puts your address in front of volunteer relief organizations doing free cleanup. No cost, ever.
Crisis Cleanup is the shared hotline that faith-based and voluntary disaster organizations use to coordinate after storms. You call once, describe what you need, and your address goes onto a map that participating relief groups work from.
They can often help with: cutting and removing fallen trees, tarping a damaged roof, removing debris, and hauling out wet or destroyed contents.
This is completely free. Volunteers are not paid and will never ask you for money. Anyone who quotes you a price is not with Crisis Cleanup.
Two honest caveats: help is not guaranteed and depends on how many volunteer teams reach the area, and it can take days. Call as early as you can. Keep working your insurance claim in parallel — do not wait on volunteers.
Discounted hotel rates for displaced residents
Open
Area hotels are holding discounted emergency rates. Say you are a resident of an evacuated area when you call.
The Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau arranged reduced rates at hotels across the Fox Valley and Oshkosh for residents displaced by the July 27 storms.
When you call, identify yourself as a resident of an evacuated area. That is what unlocks the emergency rate and priority assistance — it is not applied automatically and it is usually not bookable online.
Individual hotels, rates and current availability are listed separately below. Availability changes quickly; call before you drive.
Life-threatening emergency — call 911
Open
Fire, injury, someone trapped, gas leak, or a downed line arcing. Call 911.
Response times may be longer than normal — many roads are still impassable and crews are stretched. Call anyway. If you can, tell the dispatcher the nearest cross street rather than only a house number, because street signs are down in the damage path.
Please do not call 911 for non-emergencies. Every non-urgent call delays someone who is trapped or injured. For damage reports, debris questions and general information, use the resources on this site.
Want to help?
The two things relief organizers actually ask for: hands that are registered, and money that stays local.
