Murray Leads Entire WA Delegation in Letter Urging President Biden to Grant Governor Inslee’s Request for a Disaster Declaration for November ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Across WA State

Initial assessment reveals extensive damage to critical infrastructure, parks, cultural sites, schools, public buildings, and more, resulting in over $34 million dollars in damages across six counties

Washington, D.C. - Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led Washington's entire Congressional delegation-U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01), Rick Larsen (D, WA-02), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D, WA-03), Dan Newhouse, (R, WA-04), Michael Baumgartner (R, WA-05), Emily Randall (D, WA-06), Pramila Jayapal (D, WA-07), Kim Schrier (D, WA-08), Adam Smith (D, WA-09), and Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10)-in sending a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to grant former Governor Jay Inslee's request for a Major Disaster Declaration as a result of the devastating windstorms, heavy rainfall, flooding, and mudslides caused by a bomb cyclone that struck Washington state in November 2024.

"The November storm delivered catastrophic impacts across the Evergreen state, impacting millions of residents and wreaking havoc on communities. The storm was one of the most severe the state has seen, toppling trees into homes, damaging power infrastructure across multiple counties, paralyzing major transportation corridors, and tragically claiming two lives," the members wrote in their letter to President Biden. "An initial assessment reveals extensive damage to critical infrastructure, parks, cultural sites, schools, public buildings, and more, resulting in over $34 million dollars in damages across six counties."

"We commend the extraordinary efforts of our first responders and emergency personnel whose tireless work under dangerous conditions has been vital in protecting lives and restoring essential services. However, the scale and severity of this disaster has overwhelmed the state's capacity to recover fully. Federal assistance is critical to supplement the state's efforts," the Members continued.

The bipartisan group of members urged President Biden to approve the request for assistance as quickly as possible.

The full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

Dear Mr. President:

As members of the Washington state delegation, we write in support of Washington state's January 14, 2025, request for a Major Disaster Declaration due to the devastating windstorms, heavy rainfall, flooding, and mudslides caused by a bomb cyclone that struck the state from November 17 to November 25, 2024. We implore you to approve the request for assistance as quickly as possible.

The November storm delivered catastrophic impacts across the Evergreen state, impacting millions of residents and wreaking havoc on communities. The storm was one of the most severe the state has seen, toppling trees into homes, damaging power infrastructure across multiple counties, paralyzing major transportation corridors, and tragically claiming two lives.

An initial assessment reveals extensive damage to critical infrastructure, parks, cultural sites, schools, public buildings, and more, resulting in over $34 million dollars in damages across six counties. In East King County, where the brunt of damage occurred, more than 400 miles of power transmission lines were affected by the storm, impacting tens of thousands of residents. Prolonged outages left individuals and families unable to heat their homes or preserve food or medical supplies. In Grays Harbor County, significant damage to a water level monitoring device at the Wynoochee Dam rendered it inoperable, posing a serious risk to the dam's structural integrity and endangering thousands of people who live in downstream communities. Pacific, Snohomish, and Wahkiakum Counties experienced widespread destruction including sinkholes, crippled utility infrastructure, and damaged public and private structures. In eastern Washington, Walla Walla County suffered damage to local utilities and infrastructure, including a local cemetery. Debris removal and cleanup efforts are still underway.

We commend the extraordinary efforts of our first responders and emergency personnel whose tireless work under dangerous conditions has been vital in protecting lives and restoring essential services. However, the scale and severity of this disaster has overwhelmed the state's capacity to recover fully. Federal assistance is critical to supplement the state's efforts.

We reiterate our full support for Washington state's request for a Major Disaster Declaration, including assistance from the Public Assistance Program and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

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