MONROE – The Election Day floods forced Marilynn and Duane Hendrickson to abandon their trailer in the Snohomish River Valley.
Now, long after the floodwaters have receded, they still are living at their friend’s place off Echo Lake Road, southeast of Snohomish.
The couple on Wednesday went to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, where federal and state officials opened a disaster recovery center for flood victims.
The couple was flooded with paperwork.
“Slow and overwhelming,” Marilynn Hendrickson said. “I’ve never seen such an amount of paperwork.”
The state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency say they want the center to help those who had flood damage get federal disaster aid.
Officials plan to open another center in Granite Falls next week, said John Pennington, director of the Snohomish County emergency management department.
The center in Monroe is expected to be open for two to six weeks, depending on how many people use it, said Patty Clarke, the center’s manager.
The center is only for flood victims, not for those affected by the recent windstorm, Pennington said.
“People need to understand the difference,” he said.
Linda Everett of Sultan said she visited the center to get aid for a flood-damaged house, which she rents out near the Skykomish River.
“I’m on a fact-finding mission,” Everett said.
Everett said she learned how to deduct the flood damage from her 2006 tax return with assistance from representatives of the Internal Revenue Service.
The Hendricksons and other people went from table to table, trying to get help.
They registered with FEMA, filled out paperwork and got phone numbers to call.
Then they talked to people from the U.S. Small Business Administration, a federal agency that provides low-interest, fixed loans for disaster victims to recover from the damage. Marilynn Hendrickson, 55, scratched her head as she filled paperwork and tried to understand how the system works.
Hendrickson said she doesn’t know whether she’s getting what she wants and needs.
“Just filling out paperwork. God’s in charge,” she said.
The Hendricksons said they are not frustrated by the situation.
“We didn’t lose anything we can’t replace,” Marilynn Hendrickson said. “We have each other; we have a roof over our heads.”
How to get help
A disaster recovery center for flood victims is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from Monday through Saturday at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Building 501, 14405 179th Ave. SE, Monroe.
The center will be closed Sunday and Monday, as well as Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
State and federal officials also plan to open another center at noon Dec. 28 at American Legion Hall, 301 S. Granite Ave.
People need to bring identification, Social Security number, number of people in home, income, address, cause of damage, description of damage, date of loss, insurance information, photos and other evidence of damage.
Appointments are not needed. Call 800-659-2955 for more information.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
