WA flood aid is limited - with a fast-approaching deadline
Federal aid for victims of the December floods is picking up a bit of steam, but it's still not enough to cover the significant levels of damage faced by Washington residents. And now the deadline to apply for a bit of that money is fast approaching.
Gov. Bob Ferguson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay urged people during a Wednesday morning news conference to apply for whatever money they might be able to grab from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The limited cash available won't help guard against the next disaster or fully recover what was lost in back-to-back atmospheric rivers that tore through the region, but it's still much-needed money after such widespread devastation, officials said.
The federal government has several pots of money open, but with limited time to apply.
Already some money is going out the door. FEMA tripled the amount of individual aid it has handed out in recent weeks - still a small fraction of the total damage - and a few of those in South King County who now have cash in hand say those payments have helped lessen the sting.
Statewide, some 4,000 homes suffered some sort of damage during the floods, Ferguson said during the Wednesday news conference. About 440 of those were destroyed or severely damaged.
About 400 of those homes sit in King County, Zahilay said. One hundred of those were either destroyed or severely damaged.
While damage to peoples' homes, cars and personal belongings and the disruptions to their lives is certainly well into the millions, neither local nor state officials have an estimate of the total dollar figure. They do figure $182 million in damage to public infrastructure like roads and bridges, though.
Available aid pales in comparison.
State officials set aside $2.5 million for recovery after the floods, but as of last month had distributed a little over 6% of that. In King County, that has translated to about $9,262 in aid to each of just 13 families, with more than 500 applications still pending. The application period for this money ended April 27.
President Donald Trump didn't approve the state's request for individual aid from FEMA until last month. John Harrison, a federal coordinating officer for the agency, said the agency has handed out nearly $7 million, which has been split among around 700 people.
Jessica Adams and Kevin Wik are among the families who received some federal money. The couple's home took on severe damage after a temporary levee broke open in the city of Pacific, allowing the White River to pour into their neighborhood.
Once they applied for help from FEMA on May 9, things began to move quickly. Within the week, an agency inspector had arrived at their home, and by May 14, they received $18,000.
That's perhaps a little more than half the debt Adams and Wik's family incurred during the floods, they figure.
"I was really surprised," Wik said in a text message. "I was expecting a very long process."
Not only is there individual assistance - the federal government also offers disaster unemployment and low-interest loans through the Small Business Association, Harrison said. So far, some $12.5 million has been loaned in total to around 100 households.
King County Executive Zahilay underscored the need for flood victims to apply for some sort of aid, even if they're unsure whether they qualify.
If money for the ongoing recovery effort is sparse, so is cash to protect against the inevitable future disasters.
FEMA will reimburse up to 75% of the cost to repair qualifying pieces of public infrastructure, Ferguson's office said in a release. But that money will likely take years to come through.
For context, the December floods damaged an estimated third of King County's flood protection infrastructure.
Proactive measures will be even more difficult to fund. Trump denied a request from Ferguson's administration for hazard mitigation grants, which would have funded projects to prevent damage in the years ahead. This is a critical approach because the warming atmosphere means more of Washington's precipitation arrives as rain rather than snow, heightening the risk for even more flooding.
Ferguson and Zahilay said they're exploring new ways to raise money for the future. The state is also establishing a task force to examine the state's levees and ways to fund repairs and maintenance.
Families have until June 10 to apply for individual aid: through FEMA online at disasterassistance.gov, on the agency's mobile app, in person or by calling 1-800-621-3362.
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