Hoquiam flood protection project to receive nearly $35 million in FEMA funds following legal wins by the AGO

The city of Hoquiam will receive nearly $35 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to advance construction of a long-needed levee system following a series of legal wins by the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

FEMA selected the Hoquiam levee project years ago for funding through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program to protect thousands of people and help shield more than 5,000 properties from devastating floods. But in April 2025, before disbursing funds for the project, FEMA abruptly announced that it was ending the BRIC program, leaving Hoquiam and communities across Washington in limbo and vulnerable to the natural disasters they were trying to fortify against.

In July 2025, Washington led a coalition of 21 states in suing FEMA for its unlawful attempt to shut down the BRIC program. In December, the coalition won its lawsuit, with a federal judge ordering FEMA to reverse the termination of the BRIC program. In March of this year, the states secured a court order requiring FEMA to take concrete steps to restore billions in BRIC funding.

"This is a milestone moment for the community of Hoquiam, which has been working for more than a decade to protect thousands of people from catastrophic storms and flooding," Attorney General Nick Brown said. "Funding from FEMA will help Hoquiam become more resilient against natural disasters exactly as Congress intended when it created the BRIC program."

"The city is committed to bringing economic prosperity back to Hoquiam and helping families who have been struggling with the financial challenges that come with living and working in the flood zone," said Hoquiam Mayor Ben Winkelman. "This grant gives us the opportunity to deliver a project that protects our community, reduces long-term burdens on property owners, and creates a stronger foundation for the future of Hoquiam."

"This grant represents a major step forward for Hoquiam and for the families and businesses that have lived with flood risk and the burdens of being in the flood zone for too long," said Brian Shay, Hoquiam City Administrator. "With this investment, the city will quickly move to construct the project to protect people and property, improve resiliency, and unlock economic opportunity throughout our community."

For decades, the coastal communities of Hoquiam and Aberdeen have experienced a series of destructive floods, with 22 federally declared disasters in Grays Harbor County since 1964. Without a robust system of modern levees and floodwalls, many residents and business owners in the area have struggled to afford mandatory flood insurance requirements.

In 2015, the two cities began work on a regional flood protection effort to protect homes, businesses, public facilities, transportation routes, utilities, and emergency services from recurring and future flood impacts. FEMA recently announced that the $35 million in BRIC funding for Hoquiam will be used to build a 4.7-mile flood protection system using levees, floodwalls, raised roadways, and upgraded pump stations. The city of Aberdeen expects to finalize its federal grant agreement for the North Shore Levee project next year after completing the environmental review process.

Hoquiam will also receive $5.8 million in State Emergency Management matching grants for the North Shore Levee West project.

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