OLYMPIA — Gov. Chris Gregoire, increasingly restless about the pace of the federal response to Washington’s flood disaster, on Monday said mop-up and restoration will take months, not days or weeks.
“It will be tough sledding,” she said.
While waiting for federal relief to flow, the governor and her cabinet announced an array of direct services, including emergency food stamps and unemployment checks, in some of the affected areas in southwest Washington.
At least six people died in stormy weather last week, hundreds of farm animals were killed, I-5 and scores of other roadways were closed for days, and hundreds of homes, farms and businesses were destroyed or heavily damaged. State officials have said damage could tally in the billions.
Gregoire said nongovernmental aid will also be crucial. Neighbors have been helping neighbors with immediate relief, including shelter and help with mop-up, and Gregoire said that effort has been “nothing short of amazing.”
But she quickly added, “We can’t think it’s over. We’re in for a long haul. This is not about days or weeks; it’s about months of recovery.
“I hope our Washingtonians will be able to help us get through the coming weeks and months.”
Gregoire heaped praise on state and local responders, but for the first time made it clear that she was frustrated at the pace of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response.
The governor said she had expected FEMA to get a White House emergency declaration last Thursday, believing that it was “greased” by the state and FEMA Region X office with clearly documented damage figures and video.
The papers weren’t signed until Saturday and relief for individuals and businesses in hard-hit Grays Harbor and Lewis counties not until Sunday, and only after the state’s congressional delegation flew FEMA officials around the district. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Norm Dicks, all Democrats, are budget powers in Congress.
“We pushed as hard as we could,” Gregoire said, clearly frustrated.
Gregoire, who took daily flights over the area and met with families in most of the affected communities, said state agencies were “on the ground” from the very beginning. “We’ve been out there,” she said.
She drew a contrast with FEMA and the federal bureaucracy.
“I guess they’re from Missouri. They had to be convinced, be shown, about the tragedy that has befallen so many of our citizens,” she said.
The head of the state National Guard and the top state emergency management leader, Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, said a joint field office will open by Wednesday or Thursday, more than a week after the worst flooding, and pointedly said the timing is FEMA’s call. Typically a response center is operating within 72 to 96 hours of the emergency declaration.
Mike Howard, spokesman for FEMA’s Region X in Bothell, sought to downplay any criticism. He said the government was moving promptly, released emergency declarations over the weekend and had an on-site federal coordinating officer.
“Both state and federal officials are interested in providing support to the state of Washington as quickly as possible,” he said in an interview.
Gregoire’s spokesman, Lloyd Brown, said the governor has been trying not to criticize FEMA publicly, but said her news conference made her point.
“She was surrounded by her cabinet and the message was, ‘We’re not going to get caught up in bureaucracy. We’re going to get services to the people in a timely manner.’”
Lowenberg said more than 100 National Guard troops were still involved in recovery work, including delivering supplies and directing traffic. Troops did 1,000 home checks, brought in portable showers and supplied tarps to cover roofs.
He said troops also were still conducting welfare checks on people, especially along the Pacific coast, where about 700 utility customers were still without electricity.
The state still was assembling damage estimates and would try to get more counties added to the federal declaration so more relief can start flowing, the general said.
In the meantime, state programs are kicking in, Gregoire said:
Food stamps: Starting with people who live or work in Lewis and Grays Harbor counties, food stamps are available to people who don’t normally qualify. A family of four could get up to $542 worth of food stamps. People need to apply in person to the local community services office.
Jobless checks: Individuals and self-employed small business owners can draw unemployment if they were laid off or had reduced hours.
Crisis counseling: Mental health services are available through the local emergency operations centers.
Environment: Department of Ecology crews were working on spill and hazardous waste response, urging people not to burn their ruined carpets and household goods because of toxic fumes.
Drinking water: Most areas had potable drinking water Monday, but 12 systems were still down and many were still on a boil-water order. Health Director Mary Selecky urged people to get their 10-year tetanus booster shots and to buy home carbon monoxide detectors if they use generators on their property.
Roads: Highway crews had opened nearly all but four roads. Significant slides blocked a road in the Pe Ell area and Highway 96, the Seattle Hill Road east of Mill Creek, had a bad washout that will take a long time to repair.
Gregoire said she would request a $49 million bond authorization in the next legislative session to serve as the state’s matching funds for a major flood-prevention project near I-5 in Lewis County.
The project, which involves levees and enhanced water capacity for the Skookumchuck Dam, has been stalled for some years, but Gregoire said the recent flooding should break the impasse.
“I’m determined,” she said.
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