‘We just want to find him’: Several people missing after homeless encampment swept away in Milwaukee floods

Key Takeaways:

• Aug. 9 flooding in Milwaukee County was described as historic.
• A riverside homeless encampment was swept away by the floodwaters.
• Outreach groups report that several camp residents remain unaccounted for.
• The Milwaukee Police Department is assisting in efforts to locate the missing.
• The episode highlights the heightened risks extreme weather poses to unhoused people.

A Night of Historic Flooding
The alarms sounded on Aug. 9 as torrential rains swelled Milwaukee’s Kinnickinnic River. By night’s end, water had surged beyond its banks, claiming cars, streets and, most tragically, the tents and makeshift shelters of a nearby homeless encampment.

Encampments in the Water’s Path
Dozens of unhoused residents had clustered along the river’s edge, seeking a measure of privacy and community in a city short on shelter beds. When the river rose, the entire site was washed downstream, scattering belongings and leaving little trace of the lives once lived there.

“We Just Want to Find Him”
That desperate refrain, captured in the original headline, now drives the volunteers combing riverbanks and emergency shelters. Homeless-outreach groups say several people from the encampment are still missing, though an exact count is impossible until every name is checked against hospitals, shelters and morgues.

The Search Effort
Advocates have been joined by the Milwaukee Police Department, canvassing the city’s south-side neighborhoods and monitoring the river for any sign of the missing. “Every hour matters,” one outreach worker told local reporters, noting that flood debris and fast-moving water complicate recovery efforts.

Systemic Risks Exposed
The disaster underscores a sobering reality: people without stable housing are often the first—and hardest—hit when extreme weather strikes. Lacking secure structures or swift evacuation options, they face dangers far beyond the loss of property.

What Comes Next
Nearly two weeks after the floods, Milwaukee is beginning the long work of rebuilding roads and restoring utilities. For the families and friends of the missing, however, reconstruction will not begin until loved ones are located. Until then, the community’s urgent plea remains unchanged: they just want to find them.