STANWOOD — As floodwaters poured into his neighborhood last month, Jerry Allen had the foresight to jack up a car in a low-lying garage and to use railroad ties to divert the flow from his house.
Allen’s century-old abode appeared to have avoided disaster, so he didn’t apply for federal disaster assistance. The 41-year-old homeowner changed his mind on Thursday after federal and state workers stopped by.
“Who knows what I’ll find later,” he said.
The “later” part is what the Federal Emergency Management Agency is trying to stress to residents in areas hard-hit by recent floods. Although they might not notice any problems now, they should go ahead and register with FEMA. Otherwise, they could be out of luck if problems show up after the March 31 registration deadline.
Delivering this message on Thursday morning were a retired high-school language teacher and a genealogist. Beverly Winder, the teacher, is a FEMA community relations specialist, and Laura Sparr, the genealogist, a reservist with Washington State Emergency Management.
Last year, Winder, a Puyallup resident, had been deployed to the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and California wildfires. The floods hit much closer.
“This is a home disaster for us,” she said.
The temporary workers’ stops included Allen’s house in the Florence area. Like him, many people do not register because damage appears minor. Others assume they’re registered with FEMA because they’ve already talked to Snohomish County or the American Red Cross. In fact, they need to contact FEMA directly.
To make that process easier, FEMA set up a disaster recovery center at the Stanwood Camano Community Fairgrounds on Pioneer Highway.
Those eligible for federal help might qualify for a free damage inspection, expert advice on rebuilding, or low-interest loans.
As of Wednesday, 243 people had registered for federal disaster relief in Snohomish County and 2,412 in all of Washington state, said Jack Heesch, a FEMA public affairs officer.
Those numbers are close to the 218 Snohomish County residents who have reported an estimated $3.9 million in damages, which includes seven houses that were destroyed. The county has also received reports from 35 businesses with a combined $1.5 million in damage.
State and federal recovery teams have told the county that for every damage report, they’re seeing about 10 other addresses that might have unreported damage.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465 or nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
