Parts of Washington state that experienced severe flooding over the last week will get help from the federal government.
President Donald Trump approved the state's request for help with recovery efforts on Friday, two days after it was submitted by Gov. Bob Ferguson.
The approval means the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, will help the state pay for infrastructure repairs, evacuations and setting up shelters.
The federal emergency declaration applies to Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom, and Yakima counties, the Samish Indian Nation, and all tribal nations within those jurisdictions.
Ferguson issued an emergency declaration on Wednesday, and Washington's congressional delegation pressed the Trump administration for quick approval of the state's request. Noting the danger and damage posed by the floods in a letter to Trump, the delegation said additional resources are critical for debris removal and protective measures.
Extreme rainfall has caused major flooding, landslides and downed trees across a wide swath of the state, and tens of thousands of people were told to evacuate. The swollen Skagit and Snohomish rivers, which surged past record levels, drove many of the evacuations.
People living in areas impacted by the floods will likely be out of their homes for days, and in some cases, weeks.
"It’s going to be days, in some cases weeks, before those rivers are at a level where it’s going to be comfortable and safe for everyone to get back in there," said Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh with the Washington National Guard. "If you're in an area you've been displaced, you have my deepest sympathies and empathy going into this holiday season, but this is a long haul."
Conditions remain dangerous, according to state officials, who urge people to heed warnings from local officials.
Robert Ezelle, the director of the state's Emergency Management Division, said rivers are expected to remain high for days.
"They're not going to drop quickly, and so we need to keep our eyes on what's going on in the situation that we're experiencing," Ezelle said. "And then coming up, we see more weather coming early next week, which is going to cause rivers to rise again."
Meanwhile, more rain expected early next week could cause rivers to rise again, but they likely won't reach levels experienced this week.
Local resources
Counties and other local governments generally have the latest public safety information and resources including shelters and additional assistance. Several are listed below:
