With shutdown averted, funding available to Whatcom flood victims

Federal money to help those affected by the November 2021 Nooksack River floods should become available within weeks, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen said, now that Congress has avoided a government shutdown. The local team helping flood victims warns, however, that relief could still be months away.   Pending Federal Emergency Management Agency grants for 45 Whatcom County properties had been put on hold, as FEMA needed to prioritize projects in order to save money, said Ashley Butenschoen, di