FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Feb. 27, 1996

Governor requests state funding to help cover initial costs of February floods

OLYMPIA - Responding to severe damage caused by heavy flooding earlier this month, Governor Mike Lowry has asked the state Legislature to authorize $18.5 million in expenditures from the state General Fund to help cover costs resulting from the worst flooding on record in Washington state.

The governor's request, conveyed in a letter sent to legislative leaders last week, also asks for approval of $170.5 million in appropriation authority from other sources, primarily federal funds earmarked for repairs to homes, roads, bridges and sewage systems damaged in the February flooding.

The total cost of repairing damage caused by the February floods is expected to exceed $319 million over the next five years, according to preliminary estimates by state, federal, and local agencies. That follows an estimated $64.5 million in damages caused by flooding and wind storms in November and December of 1995, for which the governor has already requested $4 million in state appropriations in the 1995-97 budget period.

Legislative leaders are currently negotiating a supplemental budget designed, in part, to take into account changes that have occurred since the state's current two-year budget was signed into law last year.

"These back-to-back disasters have had a devastating impact on people and their property, as well as on Washington's economy and the environment," Lowry said. "This supplemental budget request will ensure that the recovery process can continue unimpeded."

A majority of the state funding requested by Lowry to address flood damages would be used to meet federal matching-fund requirements for federal assistance administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In addition, the governor has asked for state appropriations to help local governments meet their own matching-fund requirements and repair damage to publicly owned dikes and levees, which are not eligible for federal assistance.

The major components of the governor's funding proposal are summarized below.

• State-FEMA match: Under the Presidential Disaster Declaration granted Feb. 9, FEMA will reimburse the state for 75 percent of eligible costs associated with assistance for individuals, damage to state-owned infrastructure (e.g., state highways, fish hatcheries), and hazard mitigation. The governor has requested a $15.8 million General Fund-State (GF-S) appropriation and $3.6 million from state transportation funds to meet the state's 25 percent matching requirement.
• Local-FEMA match: For damages to locally owned infrastructure (e.g., schools, sewer systems), the state typically splits the 25 percent matching-fund requirement for FEMA assistance with local governments. However, because of the catastrophic nature of the February floods, many local communities would not be able to cover their share of those costs. For that reason, the governor has recommended that the state pay the entire 25 percent match for local projects, requiring an additional $2.7 million in GF-S funding and $3.3 million from other state funds.
• Dikes and levees: Recent flooding has caused up to $48 million in damages to dikes and levees that are not certified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and therefore not reimbursable by the federal government. To assist local communities with repair and replacement of dikes and levees, the governor has recommended that the Legislature transfer $5 million from the Public Works Assistance Account to the Flood Control Assistance Account to help meet these costs. The state Flood Control Assistance Program requires a 50 percent local match.
• FHWA match: For highways and bridges built or maintained by the federal government, the Federal Highway Administration will reimburse the state for 100 percent of emergency repairs done in the first 180 days from the beginning of a flood, and between 80 to 90 percent for permanent repairs done thereafter. The governor has requested $7.5 million from state transportation funds to meet the state and local matching requirements for FHWA assistance, along with appropriation authority for an estimated $75 million in federal assistance in the 1995-97 biennium.

The $319 million in estimated damages from the February floods far exceeds the previous record of $77.6 million, sustained during the flooding in November and December of 1990. The American Red Cross has reported that 691 homes were destroyed and 4,564 others were damaged by this month's flooding, which wreaked devastation in 26 Washington counties and the Yakama Indian Reservation.

Through Feb. 26, FEMA had received more than 9,000 calls from residents applying for disaster assistance and issued 2,039 checks totaling $5.4 million for emergency housing assistance in conjunction with the Emergency Management Division of the Washington Military Department. The state-administered Individual and Family Grant Program had also issued 75 checks for a total of $237,598 as of that date.

"I'm very pleased that President Clinton responded so quickly to our request for a disaster declaration," Lowry said. "That allowed flood victims to report damages directly to FEMA through the federal teleregistration system, and begin receiving assistance checks right away."

Lowry emphasized that all cost estimates for the February floods are preliminary, and will likely rise once a complete assessment can be made. To report flood damages, individuals can call FEMA's teleregistration line at 1-800-462-9029.

For more information, contact the Governor's Communications Office at 360-753-6790.