BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A round of federal funding to help our region become more resilient to flooding has been approved.
The nearly $21 million in FEMA funding for Oregon and Washington was announced today (Thurs).
It comes as part of more than $250 million in funding for over 100 flood-mitigation plans across the nation. The announcement also comes days after President Trump approved Washington’s major disaster declaration.
Washington state and others had pushed for FEMA’s disaster-preparedness program called BRIC to be restored last year and pushed once more after December’s flooding.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is working through the backlog of FEMA aid requests while DHS still operates without new funding from Congress.
No funds were approved for Whatcom or Skagit Counties specifically, however nearly $180,000 for the Department of Ecology will go towards developing a flood risk reduction strategy for frequently flooded areas.
This comes as Whatcom County’s flood managers estimate $182 million will be needed to enact the fixes to the Nooksack River to prevent flooding in the near future.
Governor Bob Ferguson sent an estimated damage cost of $182 million for Washington state to FEMA in February, adding that estimate will likely go higher.
