Senator Murray Visits Whatcom County Communities Hit Hard by Recent Flooding, Discusses Recovery and Rebuilding Efforts With Local Leaders & Emergency Management

ICYMI: Senator Murray Meets with Snohomish County First Responders, Tours Recent Flooding; Visits Skagit County Flood Wall, Affirms She Will Fight to Deliver Federal Resources to Support Recovery

ICYMI: In Senate Floor Speech, Senator Murray Commends Rescue Efforts and Response to Devastating Flooding Across WA, Vows to Continue Fighting for Support Needed to Rebuild & Recover

***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL HERE***

Everson, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, met with local leaders, emergency management staff, and first responders from Whatcom County to discuss ongoing response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts in the region following the severe storms and devastating flooding that hit Washington state in mid-December. Whatcom County was among the most affected regions in Washington state by the historic flooding, with the Nooksack River reaching record major flood stage several times. Everson, Sumas, and Nooksack were hit especially hard in the county.

In Everson, Senator Murray met with Everson Mayor John Perry, and Nooksack Mayor Kevin Hester to discuss the ongoing response efforts and hear how their communities are rebuilding after the floods. After the floods barreled through Everson, it took three days before the river had receded enough to allow residents and business owners to return and inspect the damage. Everson City Hall was completely flooded. The city had just finished renovations on the building after the 2021 floods.

Later, in Sumas, Senator Murray met with Sumas Mayor Bruce Bosch to hear about ongoing response efforts in the area and how the community is recovering from devastating flooding. Sumas also suffered severe flooding in 2021.

Flood prevention programs and infrastructure have been a top priority for the communities of Everson and Sumas, and Whatcom County. At both visits, Senator Murray was also joined by Lummi Nation Chairman Tony Hillaire, Nooksack Indian Tribe Vice Chairwoman Anna Brewer, Ferndale Mayor Greg Hansen, Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis, Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, Whatcom County Flood Planning and Mitigation Manager Paula Harris, Whatcom County Public Works Special Projects Manager Roland Middleton, Whatcom County Natural Resources Program Manager Gary Stoyka, Whatcom County Sherriff Donnell "Tank" Tanksley, and Whatcom County Sherriff's Office Deputy Director of Emergency Management Matt Klein, to hear about the flooding impacts and the developing response plans for the county.

"Even though it has been weeks since the extreme weather and devastating flooding hit our state, for people in communities like Everson and Sumas they are still living through the damage every day. I know towns like these, and many others across the state, have a long way to go when it comes to rebuilding-and I promise to be there every step of the way," said Senator Murray. "These visits were an important reminder that our communities made it through this devastating flooding because of our local first responders, National Guard, and ordinary people that stepped up to help their neighbors. These floods may have destroyed homes, displaced families, and ruined farmland but I have seen firsthand how people, like right here in Everson and Sumas, are coming together to rebuild and heal. Washington state is resilient, and I promise to continue working in Congress to make sure that Washington state gets all the federal resources it needs to recover."

Back in December, Senator Murray led Washington state's entire Congressional delegation in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to approve Governor Ferguson's request for an expedited Emergency Declaration for the devastating storms and severe flooding hitting Washington state-that request was approved. Senator Murray visited the FEMA response center in Bothell to thank the staff for working around the clock to help coordinate local response efforts. Senator Murray also visited Snohomish County to hear from local first responders and emergency management officials and toured affected areas around the city of Monroe including Tualco Valley and Ben Howard Road. Senator Murray also met with local leaders in Skagit County to discuss the ongoing response efforts in the region and to see firsthand how the Skagit County Flood Wall protected downtown Mount Vernon during the historic flooding-Murray secured the federal funds to help build the flood wall back in 2006.

Senator Murray continues to reiterate that Congress should support more, not less, investments in climate resilience to help prevent extreme weather events from devastating communities-just as the Skagit County Flood Wall was able to do in December. Back in May, Senator Murray led a bipartisan, bicameral letter with over 80 of her colleagues urging Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which supports local efforts to protect and harden our communities from natural disaster. Just recently, Washington and a multistate coalition won their lawsuit against the Trump administration over its unlawful attempt to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) BRIC program. As a longtime senior appropriator, Murray has always fought to secure the federal resources Washington state needs to recover and rebuild from natural disasters-in Congress, Murray has worked hard to impress upon her colleagues that disaster relief should never be impeded by politics.

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