Washington Requests FEMA Flooding Aid

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington state is requesting federal aid as the state tries to recover from the recent, record-breaking flooding in Whatcom County.

Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, formally requesting FEMA's assistance once the state completes its estimate of the damages.

"Since these severe rainstorms first began on November 12, I have met with flood victims in

Whatcom County and have had ongoing conversations with local elected officials, tribal
government leaders, emergency response personnel, and community stakeholders from around
Northwestern Washington," Inslee wrote. "Through these engagements, one thing I have heard consistently is collective shock in the magnitude of these atmospheric events, causing historic water levels and damage in impacted communities."

The mid-November flooding damaged around 500 homes, according to preliminary estimates, and caused numerous other problems like landslides and mudslides, evacuations, road closures and power outages. Officials for the City of Sumas at one point claimed that up to 75 percent of its homes had water damage.

"These have had a tremendous impact on people, businesses, agriculture, transportation systems, and the economy of Washington," Inslee said.

In his request to FEMA, the governor pointed to the historic nature of the flooding: Seattle, SeaTac, Bellingham and Quillayute all recorded their wettest meteorological fall season this year, the governor said, and Bellingham experienced its wettest November on record. From Nov. 12 - 15, Bellingham received about 5.57 inches of rain. Normally, it averages 5.2 inches of rain for the whole month.

"Washingtonians are resilient, strong people, and we will bounce back from recent storms," Inslee said. "Public Assistance (PA) and Individual Assistance (IA) as provided by the Stafford Act will help ensure that we do so as quickly as possible."

Inslee's letter is far from the first time Washington has leaned on FEMA for support. Just last week, FEMA announced it was sending a mobile vaccination unit to Western Washington. The state has also received several FEMA grants to help fund firefighting efforts in wildfire season.

Related: 6 Ways To Help Whatcom County Families Affected By Flooding