Washington State has been denied federal disaster relief funds by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Officials say they still don't know why.
FEMA rejected the state's application for public assistance tied to an estimated $34 million in damage from a series of powerful November storms, including a bomb cyclone that swept across the region. The agency's letter, delivered in April, denied the request without providing any explanation. Governor Bob Ferguson called the decision deeply troubling.
"There are very clear criteria to qualify for these emergency relief funds," Ferguson said in a statement. "Washington's application met all of them. This is another troubling example of the federal government withholding funding. Washington communities have been waiting for months for the resources they need to fully recover from last winter's devastating storms, and this decision will cause further delay. We will appeal."
The storms, which struck last November, caused widespread destruction across multiple counties and claimed two lives. Then-Governor Jay Inslee initially declared a disaster in nine counties: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Pacific, Snohomish, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, and Whatcom. Governor Ferguson later expanded the declaration to include Chelan and Jefferson counties as the full scale of damage came into focus.
Washington submitted its federal disaster relief application in January, seeking reimbursement for damage to public highways, utilities, and electrical power systems. FEMA's public assistance programs typically cover at least 75 percent of eligible costs following a declared disaster. Three months passed before the agency responded. When it did, it offered no rationale for the denial.
State officials say the $34 million figure is likely to grow as counties continue to assess damage. Washington now has 30 days to file an appeal, and the governor's office has indicated it intends to do so. The outcome of that appeal could determine how quickly affected communities receive the resources needed to rebuild.
The denial adds to a growing pattern of friction between Washington State and the federal government over funding. Ferguson's statement characterized the FEMA decision as part of a broader trend of the federal government withholding resources the state is entitled to, a framing likely to fuel continued political tension between Olympia and Washington, D.C.
