Almost 18 months after floods ravaged rural Whatcom County, more than $12 million in federal funds will flow into the region to support victims who lost their homes.
The funds, provided by two separate grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will allow Whatcom County to acquire destroyed homes and buildings and raise others with stilts. The goal, county staff said, is to support families who lost everything.
“We’re trying to help our constituents who underwent such horrible flood damages a year and a half ago,” said Paula Harris, the county’s river and flood manager. “It’s been really hard — really hard — on people.”
One grant, valued at $9,578,533, will help the county purchase approximately 15 homes, including five in Everson, two in Sumas and eight in unincorporated parts of the county. The other grant, valued at $2,517,712, will allow the county to fund elevations for about 14 properties across the region.
The homes up for purchase were considered “substantially damaged,” and are slated for demolition. Per the budget proposal document, homes were eligible if the cost to repair the structure to pre-flood conditions “exceeds 50 percent of the structure value before it was damaged.” The available grant will fund land purchase, structure tear-down and habitat restoration, according to county documents.
The land restoration, too, could help prevent future flood-related catastrophes. County documents say the 15 properties “could play a critical part in the long-term efforts to reduce flood hazards” in the region.
Members of the Whatcom County Council unanimously approved the use of the funds during an April 25 meeting.
Though the floods occurred almost 18 months ago, recovery efforts are still going strong while families remain displaced. Recovery costs for the community topped $150 million in early days, and on the one-year anniversary of the first flood, more than 500 families were still working with disaster case-management services. Residents are still picking up the pieces of their lives, swept away by historic crests from the Nooksack River.
“It’s been really hard because it’s been a long time since the flood, and we’re still waiting on funding,” Harris said. “People are trying to get on with their lives.”
The two floods, the first on Nov. 14 and the second on Nov. 28, devastated Whatcom County residents, damaged more than 1,000 homes and businesses, destroyed roads, displaced thousands and claimed the life of 50-year-old Jose Garcia.
Harris said the current grants will go toward some of the “worst-damaged homes,” particularly along the Everson overflow corridor, though there may be more money coming in the future. Fund acquisition, she said, moves slowly thanks to government bureaucracy.
“This funding is not well-suited to swooping in after a flood and helping people move on with their lives,” Harris said.
