Financial aid lags massive damage from WA's December floods

Millions of dollars in state, federal and insurance payouts are trickling out to people still recovering from the severe floods in December that devastated Western Washington.

So far, nearly $28 million has been handed out to victims of the floods, which tore through two levees in King County. That's a fraction of the damage wrought on people and families across the region. But the total amount of destruction remains unclear.

While state officials estimate the disaster destroyed some $182 million worth of public infrastructure - roads, bridges, culverts and the like - no similar estimate exists for homes, businesses, cars or personal property or disruptions of livelihoods.

The vast majority of money handed out has come from insurance claims. That help won't come for everybody, however. Few people living in Washington's flood-prone areas carry flood insurance.

Payments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, totaling $1.8 million so far, have outpaced the state government's.

Washington itself has relatively little to offer in the way of financial assistance and it's handed out even less.

Here's a snapshot of the aid available for flooding victims and a glimpse into what public officials know and don't know about the extent of the damage.

Available aid

During more than a week of heavy rains from back-to-back atmospheric rivers this December, emergency officials ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes in Washington. Hundreds had to be rescued from the deluge and at least one person died. An estimated 4,000 homes suffered some sort of damage, from minor to complete devastation.

This was one of the costliest natural disasters in Washington's history and the destruction far outpaces the money available for recovery.

The bulk of government money is from FEMA, though that cash can be slow in coming and carries hard limits. The agency also has faced stress over the past year as President Donald Trump and his allies sought to dismantle it. He rejected disaster aid to Washington after the 2024 bomb cyclone and has bragged about giving aid to states that supported him politically.

In April, Trump did approve Washington's request for aid after the December floods. FEMA has received at least 597 applications for individual assistance, agency officials confirmed by email. So far it has doled out about $1.8 million and people have until June 10 to apply for help through the agency.

Washington has provided less.

The state sent out $1 million for emergency needs, split between more than 2,600 households, said Karina Shagren, spokesperson for Washington's Emergency Management Division, in an email. If everyone received an equal share, that's about $384 per home.

While the state set aside another $2.5 million for recovery, as of mid-April it had distributed only $154,000 of it, Shagren said.

In King County, more than 513 people applied for some of that cash, county spokesperson Sheri Badger said. So far, 13 have been approved for a total of $9,262.

Applications for state money are now closed, Badger said.

Insurance

At least some people across Western Washington did have flood insurance to cover some of the damage they've suffered.

While insurance has paid out much more than the state and federal governments combined, coverage still falls short.

As of February, the National Flood Insurance Program, managed by FEMA, had received 776 claims, Aaron VanTuyl, a spokesperson for the Washington Insurance Commissioner's Office, confirmed in an email. About half of those claims had been closed, with a total payout of some $25 million. Fifty-seven claims were denied payment and the rest remained open, VanTuyl wrote.

National flood insurance is only required if you hold a federally backed loan and live within a flood zone marked by FEMA. Those maps are infrequently updated and often don't reflect the contemporary risk as the warming atmosphere lends itself to more bouts of extreme weather. People can also purchase private flood coverage, which isn't typically included in home policies.

Between federal and private flood insurance, there are about 44,600 policies in Washington, VanTuyl said.

But nearly 60 times as many people - an estimated 2.6 million - lived in flood-prone areas as of last year, Washington's Department of Ecology estimated. That's roughly a third of the state's population. Nearly half of them are considered particularly vulnerable due to health concerns or a lack of money.

More detailed looks at the coverage gap or the total extent of the private damage caused by the floods are unlikely to emerge any time soon. Sometimes damage totals can be collected at the county level, Shagren said. Not always, though. And there's no universal standard requiring them to collect the data, she said.

Applications for individual assistance through providers like FEMA shouldn't be interpreted as a comprehensive damage estimate either, Shagren said. Federal aid is limited to $44,800, which can fall well short of a person's or a family's total loss.

The King County Flood Control District is requesting additional money this year not only to repair damaged infrastructure but also to buy perhaps a dozen properties damaged by the floods, Executive Director Michelle Clark said in an email.

Even if the district's supplemental request comes through, that money can't meet the total need. For context, in the city of Pacific alone, local officials estimated people in about 220 homes were forced out when the levees were breached.

People can also apply for low-interest loans through the federal Small Business Administration, and so far more than $8 million has been borrowed.

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