Governor Ferguson requests FEMA assistance to repair $182.3M infrastructure damaged in historic December flooding

Highest dollar figure FEMA damage assessment in 40 years

OLYMPIA -Today, Governor Bob Ferguson submitted Washington state's request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Public Assistance funding to help repair state infrastructure damaged in December's historic flooding. Preliminary damage assessments performed in partnership with FEMA over the past two months estimate damage totaling $182.3 million. That represents the largest dollar amount of public infrastructure damage submitted to FEMA in Washington state in more than 40 years.

Last month, Governor Ferguson requested approval of federal Individual Assistance to provide support for survivors. That application is pending.

"The flooding we experienced in December was historic, and it caused extensive damage to our infrastructure," Governor Ferguson said. "We need assistance from the federal government. We are confident that we have met the criteria and make a strong case to grant this vital assistance. I appreciate the bipartisan support we have received from legislative leaders and our Congressional delegation advocating for approval of this federal funding."

FEMA's Public Assistance Program provides up to 75% reimbursement by the federal government for qualifying repairs to our infrastructure. That includes the cost of removing debris, as well as repairing damage to roads, bridges, public buildings, public utilities, water control facilities, parks, and more.

The $182.3 million number is preliminary and likely to increase as Washington state continues to evaluate damage. For example, some roads are still covered in snow, and Emergency Management may not be able to fully assess the damage until the snow melts.

In addition to funding to repair damaged infrastructure, Washington state is also applying today for another FEMA program: the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. This program helps fund projects to prepare for future disasters. For example, flood walls.

The damage in many parts of our state would have been even worse without infrastructure to protect against flooding.

We saw the positive impact of this kind of preparation - the flood wall recently constructed in Mount Vernon, for example, prevented its downtown from flooding.

If approved, Washington would qualify for grant funding up to 20 percent of our total damage assessment - in this case, a maximum of $36.6 million.

The preliminary damage assessment total does not include damage to federal highways, or some state highways. For example, the damage to US 2 between Skykomish and Leavenworth was extensive. The state is also working with the Federal Highway Administration to get funding for repairs to highways in the state. This is a separate process from today's FEMA request.