State, FEMA and King County urge flood survivors to apply for aid before June 10 deadline

Governor Bob Ferguson, FEMA and King County officials on Tuesday urged residents affected by December’s historic flooding to apply for federal and state disaster aid before the close of business on Monday, June 10.

The governor said the storms pushed the Skagit, Snohomish and Cedar rivers to record levels, prompting more than 100,000 evacuation orders, nearly 400 rescues and widespread property damage. "If your home, your business, your income, or your property was affected by December's floods, please apply for assistance," Ferguson said.

The assistance available includes FEMA individual assistance (grants that do not need to be repaid), disaster unemployment assistance, and low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Ferguson said FEMA had distributed "nearly $7,000,000 in individual assistance to over 700 households," and John Harrison, FEMA’s federal coordinating officer, said "over 700 individuals have registered for FEMA assistance and received more than $6,800,000." The Small Business Administration has provided "over 12 and a half million dollars in loans with 100 households receiving assistance," officials said.

John Harrison outlined four ways to apply: online at disasterassistance.gov, by phone, via the FEMA app, or at a local disaster assistance center. He urged applicants to file insurance claims first, then apply to FEMA, and to bring documentation — Social Security number, property address, a damage inventory, insurance information and bank account details — to speed processing. "They will never ask for money," Harrison said, warning that requests for payment from anyone claiming to be FEMA are a red flag.

King County Executive Grama Zahilay emphasized local recovery and outreach: rotating disaster assistance centers and mobile outreach teams are being used to meet people where they are, and county staff can help applicants determine which programs they may qualify for. Zahilay reiterated the local estimate that infrastructure damage in impacted jurisdictions is at least $182,000,000 and said the county is reallocating some resources and exploring a transportation benefits district to aid rural roads.

Ferguson also described federal public assistance for infrastructure repairs — a program that can reimburse jurisdictions for up to 75% of qualifying repairs — and said the state’s preliminary estimate of eligible infrastructure damage already exceeds $182,000,000. He added that the state applied for FEMA hazard mitigation grants but "unfortunately, we were not approved for hazard mitigation grants" and that the state filed an appeal with FEMA late last week requesting reconsideration.

Officials said registrations are "trending up" but urged greater outreach before the June 10 deadline. FEMA staff noted inspections typically occur after registration and that applicants usually receive funds about a week after inspection if approved. Residents seeking help were directed to disasterassistance.gov, the FEMA phone line, local disaster assistance centers (including the Renton center), and county web pages such as kingcounty.gov/floodrecovery.

The briefing ended with officials answering reporters’ questions about levee repairs, the distribution of a previously announced $2.5 million in state assistance, and the absence of a fixed maximum for individual assistance — FEMA said allocations depend on the number of applicants and documented needs. Ferguson said he is discussing making emergency state dollars more nimble with legislative leaders.

Officials said they will continue outreach over the coming weeks, with disaster outreach teams attending community events and rotating assistance centers in affected counties. The deadline to begin an application for FEMA individual assistance is the close of business on Monday, June 10.