EVERETT — Disaster aid for victims of the floods in October has surpassed $4 million statewide, according to the disaster field office set up by state and federal emergency management agencies.
As of Monday, 1,255 families had registered for aid. Snohomish and Skagit counties were hardest hit, accounting for half of the flood relief applications.
Skagit County residents turned in 461 applications, the most of any county. Second-most was Snohomish County with 230. Third was Mason County with 104, said Diana Seifert, spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Seifert said her department did not have information immediately available about how much of the $4 million those counties were allocated.
Time is running out for flood victims who have not inquired to see if the damage to their home would qualify for assistance.
Seifert said the deadline is 60 days after the federal disaster was declared Nov. 7. That would make the last day to turn in an application Jan. 6.
"Christmas is going to come on people suddenly," Seifert said.
Two warm rainstorms within a few days pounded the Cascades in October. In Snohomish County, rural riverfront landowners in Granite Falls, Robe and Darrington were hardest hit. Several people lost homes, and many more suffered severe damage from water and silt.
Some residents in Robe also suffered later in November from another heavy rainfall that caused the south fork of the Stillaguamish River to rise again. The October floods carved away an extreme amount of bank and damaged homes, exposing other neighbors to the same kind of damage in November.
But the November flood was not as high, and a federal disaster was not declared, so the later damage is not eligible for relief funds.
"Unfortunately, that’s the case," Seifert said.
The amount of money each homeowner gets varies depending on the damage, but Seifert said it’s "relatively small."
Some people will qualify for long-term, low-interest home loans of as much as $200,000 for real estate and $40,000 for personal property. Businesses can get as much as $1.5 million for real estate, machinery and inventory, she said.
"It’s to give people a hand up," Seifert said.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
If you suffered flood damage between Oct. 15 and Oct. 23, call 800-621-3362. For the hearing impaired, call 800-462-7585. Free counseling services are available in Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties by calling 360-416-7099. Volunteer attorneys are providing free disaster-related legal service to low-income residents. Call 800-467-0372 for information.
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