Flight For Life is hosting an open House for the general public this Saturday from noon until 2 p.m at their new base located at the Waukesha County Airport-Crites Field.

"We are very pleased that Flight For Life has chosen to position its aircraft at the Waukesha County Airport-Crites Field," said Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas.  "This location will save precious minutes of transportation time for people injured in Waukesha County and throughout Southeastern Wisconsin."

William Hatcher, Executive Director, Milwaukee Regional Medical Center; Jim Singer, Director, Flight For Life Transport System, Daniel Vrakas, Waukesha County Executive; Larry Nelson, Mayor, City of Waukesha; and other dignitaries and representatives from local government and the business community are all expected to attend.

Waukesha County Airport - Crites Field, 2661 Aviation Road, Waukesha, WI 53188

Atlanta – The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the Disaster Loan Outreach Center located in Waukesha County Communication Center, 1621 Woodburn Road, Waukesha will close Friday, Aug. 29 at the close of business (6 p.m.).

Disaster victims may also apply for disaster loans from SBA’s secure Web site at www.disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.

The deadline to return physical loan applications is Sept. 15 2008. The deadline for returning economic injury loan applications is March 13, 2009.

Waukesha County's Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Disaster Recovery Center  has transitioned to a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan Outreach Center.

From July 28-Aug. 13 anyone registered for disaster assistance can get one-on-one access to SBA and FEMA representatives from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, at the Waukesha County Communications Center, 1621 Woodburn Road, Waukesha. Federal agency personnel will be on hand to answer questions about the application process and to get more information on FEMA disaster programs.

Anyone affected by flooding is urged to call FEMA's toll-free helpline, (800) 621-3362, to start the registration process (individuals with speech or hearing impairments can call TTY (800) 462-7585) or register online at www.fema.gov. Flood victims have until Aug. 13, 2008 to apply for  federal relief under President Bush's disaster declaration for Waukesha County. Both registration services are operational 24 hours.

For those living in communities with Canadian Pacific railroad tracks running through it residents may have noticed their towns have been a little more quiet.

Flooding has led to a cessation of train traffic in southeast Wisconsin. Jeff Johnson, spokesman for CP Railway, said traffic has been suspended due to flooding from the Crawfish River. CP tracks run east-west through the center of Waukesha County. Freight traffic has been rerouted to other lines, he said.

Amtrak, which also uses the tracks, has suspended travel for its Empire Builder between St. Paul, Minn. and Chicago, Ill. due to flooding on the Canadian Pacific Railway route, effective June 10, and the closing of a detour route on the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) Railway, effective June 15.

In addition to closing railroad routes and stations, flooded highways are making the provision of alternate transportation by chartered motorcoach impossible in some cases, according  to the Amtrak Website.

Passengers are urged to call Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL if they have travel plans through June 18 on the Empire Builder or on the Chicago to San Francisco line, which is also suspended due to flooding in Iowa.

Waukesha - Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas officially declared a state of emergency in the county today because of flooding that resulted from large amounts of rainfall beginning June 5. 

"I am asking the public to be respectful of posted road closings and to cooperate with emergency responders during our recovery efforts," Vrakas said. 

Current damage reported to the Emergency Management Office by 18 of the county's 37 municipalities is estimated at nearly $35 million.

Residents can call the county's prerecorded incident hotline at (262) 548-7110 for information on flood safety tips or can access information via the county's website at www.waukeshacounty.gov. 

Behrend, who was elected to the County board’s District 13 seat April 1, said he does not intend keeping the seat if he were elected as Register of Deeds in November.