Federal funding to assist with December storm damage

The Semiahmoo Spit was flooded and covered in debris during the storms that occurred in December.

President Trump has granted Washington a Major Disaster Declaration for the December 2018 storms that occurred in Whatcom County and elsewhere.

This triggers the release of federal funds to help with recovery efforts, according to a news release issued by FEMA.

FEMA announced on March 4 that federal disaster assistance has been made available to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, mudslides and a tornado from December 10 to December 24, 2018.

Whatcom County was included in the declaration, and suffered significant damage during the storms, with major impacts on Birch Bay and Blaine.

“In a nutshell, what happens is that the state’s governor has to put in a request, which details the incident period, the event and what counties were impacted, and then the President looks at the severity and magnitude of the disaster,” said FEMA spokesperson Peter Sessum. “It has to be so large and so bad that the local community, city, county, tribal government or state can’t handle [the disaster] by itself.”

The request by governor Jay Inslee was made in a 32-page letter sent to the White House on February 19. The letter specifically mentioned the significant damage to Birch Bay Drive. “The storm surge and wave action coming off Birch Bay was so intense that trees as large as 36 inches in diameter were thrown completely across Birch Bay Drive into private residences and businesses,” wrote Inslee. “The destructive wave action also completely undermined one lane of Birch Bay Drive and a significant stretch of road remains in limited operation indefinitely.”

Inslee’s letter to President Trump also mentioned the city of Blaine’s problems due to the December storms. “The city of Blaine experienced significant critical infrastructure damage to numerous roadways and stormwater outfalls due to severe wind-driven storm wave action,” read Inslee’s letter.

In this case, only public assistance was requested by the governor, covering infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Individual assistance was not requested for households and renters, said Sessum.

Ultimately, the state becomes the recipient of federal funding, and the overall program is going to be managed within the state, which will establish funding priorities. FEMA will then reimburse the state for infrastructure repair projects, explained Sessum.

In a separate press release, Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo said that his department looks forward to assisting the state and FEMA with the major disaster declaration process.

“The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office recognizes that the damages and impacts from the December storm cycle, especially the December 20 tidal surge and winds, extended power outages in Point Roberts and Kendall, and the continuing transportation impacts in Birch Bay have been significant for all of Whatcom County,” said Elfo. “The sheriff’s office looks forward to assisting the state of Washington emergency management, the federal emergency management agency (FEMA) and Whatcom County agencies in working through the process in the coming months.”

Federal funding is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private non-profit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged in Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Mason, Pacific, Snohomish and Whatcom counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

In a related initiative, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that low-interest federal disaster loans are now available to certain private nonprofit organizations in Washington following Trump’s federal disaster declaration. Private nonprofits that provide essential services of a governmental nature are eligible for assistance.

For Whatcom County’s latest round of storms over the last few weeks, while there was significant snowfall, wind and power impacts, the state of Washington has determined that this event does not meet minimum requirements for federal assistance.