Disaster Loan Outreach Center opens in Snohomish

Published 1:30 am Monday, March 2, 2026

EVERETT — A disaster outreach center opened Thursday in Snohomish to provide low-interest loans to those whose property sustained damage in the December flooding.

Representatives of the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience partnered with Sno-Isle Regional Libraries to set up shop in the Big Study Room at the Snohomish Library on 311 Maple Avenue, said Lucia Schmit, Snohomish County Emergency Management director, in a release.

The outreach center is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. After March 7, it will be open 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Residents are still putting their lives back together after the December floods, which lasted more than 11 days.

Nearly 800 residents in four different locations were ordered to evacuate from their homes, according to a report Schmit gave in January. Teams rescued 68 people and 19 pets. Only one person is known to have died in the floods.

The Snohomish River rose to 34.15 feet, breaking its last record of 33.5 feet in 1990.

All county river basins had major flooding, Schmit said. Fifty-six square miles of county land were underwater.

At the outreach center, homeowners can access disaster loans up to $500,000 to repair or replace damaged real estate. Renters and homeowners may be eligible for loans up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged personal property, including vehicles.

Businesses and nonprofits may be eligible for loans up to $2 million to cover both physical and economic losses. Interest rates are as low as 2.875% for homeowners and renters, 4% for businesses and 3.625% for nonprofits.

“I recommend coming down to the outreach center and talking to the loan officers in person,” said Mary Bradfield, Small Business Administration spokesperson, in an interview Friday. “They’ll have the best answers and give the best assistance through the application process.”

Interest will not accrue and the first payment is not due until 12 months after the first loan disbursement.

Applications for loans to help with physical damage are due by April 27. Loans to provide support for economic injury are due by Nov. 24.

The Small Business Administration also set up centers in Fall City and Auburn in King County, Sedro-Woolley in Skagit County, Chehalis in Lewis County, and Sumas in Whatcom County.

Snohomish County residents can visit which ever center is most convenient, Bradfield said.

The county is grateful for the Small Business Administration because the Snohomish valley is where flood damage was most concentrated, Schmit said.

“My team has been meeting with the community to better understand the impacts of the storm,” she said. “We remain hopeful that we will receive a FEMA declaration and additional support. Even so, governmental disaster recovery funds rarely make households whole. These SBA loans may help with those losses.”

On Jan. 21, Gov. Bob Ferguson sent a letter to the federal government, requesting financial aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to help both individuals and with publicly owned property damage.

Snohomish County Emergency Management gathered information from 185 residents and businesses via an online survey that reported $5.5 million in damages. The flooding also caused $18 million in damage to publicly owned infrastructure in the county, such as roads and utilities.

While the state offers limited support through an Individual Assistance program, which includes $2.5 million in disaster assistance, most Snohomish County residents aren’t eligible, spokesperson Scott North said in an interview Friday. While the county waits to hear from FEMA, loans are likely a more accessible option at this point, he said.

To be eligible for state assistance, applicants’ household income must be at or below 80% of the median income, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and must provide evidence their home was either destroyed or suffered significant damage that isn’t covered by insurance.

Those seeking more information can visit snohomishcountywa.gov/reportdamage.

For those able to rebuild, North recommends prevention be taken into account, as another disaster is likely to happen in the future.

“Our landscape is shaped by powerful forces,” he said. “It’s a dynamic environment that is going to be constantly presenting challenges. It’s just part of the beauty of where we live.”

The county offers tips for before a flood at snohomishcountywa.gov/972. There, homeowners can find a checklist to avoid flood damage, among other resources.

“Recovery and resilience are inextricably connected, and a big piece of that is mitigation,” North said. “Every one of those people that has reported damage has a different story, and it’s going to look different for them depending on what happened to them — and also how they plan to move ahead.”

Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay