Snohomish County pushes for aid for storm victims

Damage from last week’s flooding in Snohomish County now totals almost $15 million and officials said the county is close to becoming eligible for federal aid.

Over the weekend, President Bush approved federal assistance for flood-damaged counties in southwestern Washington. Other counties, including Snohomish County, may become eligible for more aid once more detailed damage assessments are complete, officials said.

Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management officials are busy tallying damage reports from cities and towns, small business owners and residents.

“We’re going to make a strong enough case,” county emergency management director John Pennington said. “The state has assured me that they’re going to push (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) very, very hard.”

About 400 people in Snohomish County have reported about $9.62 million in flood damage so far, he said.

“The numbers will go up,” Pennington said.

That doesn’t include about $5 million to fix a washout under Seattle Hill Road near Mill Creek, he said. South Snohomish County cities including Lynn­wood are still determining all the damage.

Pennington said the county has unofficially surpassed the threshold typically required by the federal government to give cities and towns money to repair damaged roads and public buildings. He said there is a strong case for assistance to individuals and small businesses, too.

On Monday, county officials met with representatives from the state’s congressional delegation to discuss flood damage and help expedite federal aid, Pennington said. He also was in close touch with state officials.

“They’ve indicated their support in helping to push Snohomish County’s cause,” he said.

Heavy rains last week pummeled the state, pushing rivers over their banks, flooding homes and closing roads. Six deaths are blamed on the floods.

In Snohomish County, urban areas were hit hardest a s streams flooded apartment buildings and water covered roads.

It likely will cost about $2.7 million to fix damage at 28 locations along local roads, Snohomish County Director of Public Works Steve Thomsen said.

“Some of the sites were much larger than we thought after the water receded,” he said.

The state is responsible for fixing Seattle Hill Road, which was closed after a culvert collapsed. State transportation department officials said Monday that repairs on the road may take another month.

Near Centralia, I-5 was closed for nearly a week when the Chehalis River flooded.

Federal officials determined the state’s hardest-hit counties qualified for assistance after taking a flight over the stricken areas, Pennington said.

“They justified their need by looking from the air. We have to justify our need by looking at the hard numbers,” he said.

Now, it’s imperative that people with damage call the department of emergency management, he said.

With high water in the county hitting people in urban areas, many people are filing flood damage claims for the first time.

“People along the Stilly and the Snohomish understand the process,” he said. “A lot of these victims are new disaster victims.”

Snohomish County could learn about federal aid as soon as today, Pennington said.

“Disaster victims are disaster victims, and we’ve worked really hard to build this case and these numbers,” he said. “We need to get these people some assistance.”