FEMA approves $21 million flood mitigation funding for Washington and Oregon

Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 23, 2026

EVERETT — The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, approved almost $21 million Thursday to support flood mitigation in Oregon and Washington.

Record-breaking floods hit Snohomish County in December. The county is receiving a nearly $300,000 FEMA grant to support a countywide risk study of flood infrastructure to help prevent future flood impacts, a FEMA press release said.

“We will be able to look holistically at all dikes and levees in the county, many of which are privately or independently owned rather than managed by the County,” spokesperson Kari Bray said in an email. “The study will look in-depth at this infrastructure to identify areas of concern, then we can take a deeper dive into those specific areas.”

The county would then work with cities, tribes and other partners to determine which improvements are needed while considering impacts on the environment and wildlife, she said.

“December’s flooding highlighted how critical flood mitigation measures can be in ensuring that our residents live in prepared and resilient communities,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said. “This grant will help give us more information about what needs to happen to keep people and property safe.”

The funding was approved in June 2025, but was held up by then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, a press release from U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, said.

U.S. Rep. DelBene, Rick Larsen, D-Everett, and Kim Schrier, D-Sammamish, wrote a letter to Noem in December to release the funding, as the state was facing the extreme floods, the release said.

The grant is part of a $250 million effort to fund more than 100 flood mitigation projects nationwide, the FEMA release said.

Washington residents who sustained losses from the flood can apply for FEMA disaster assistance at disasterassistance.gov.

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