State requests adding two counties for disaster relief for people

For Immediate Release: December 17, 2007

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced the state has requested that Clallam and Kitsap counties be added to the federal disaster declaration for individual assistance following the Dec. 2-3 storm and flooding disaster. If approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), residents and small-business owners in Clallam and Kitsap counties would become eligible to apply for individual assistance disaster aid.

�We look forward, once again, to quick action on this request by federal officials,� said Gov. Gregoire. �We were very pleased and supportive of flood survivors in Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties Saturday when our request to add them to the declaration was turned around in the less than 24 hours."

Clallam and Kitsap counties would join five counties already approved for individual assistance. Grays Harbor and Lewis counties were approved by FEMA, Dec. 9; and Mason, Pacific and Thurston, Dec. 15.

As of this morning, more than 4,000 people have registered with FEMA for disaster assistance, and the federal relief agency has paid out $5.2 million to start people back on the road to recovery.

�It�s astounding that in little more than a week, we�ve had as many register for help as we had for last year�s November flood disaster. I�m just glad help is coming,� said Gov. Gregoire.

Assistance available to eligible applicants may include Housing Assistance, Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loans and/or Other Needs Assistance. Other assistance programs will also be available, including Disaster Unemployment Assistance, Disaster Legal Services, IRS (casualty loss) and Crisis Counseling.

�Our assessment teams in Clallam and Kitsap found household damages were widespread enough that we think these counties clearly should be considered for inclusion in federal disaster relief programs for individual and small businesses," said Kurt Hardin of the Emergency Management Division (EMD) and State Coordinating Officer for the recovery.

Hardin noted that state emergency management workers and their federal counterparts plan to wrap by mid-week an initial sweep of preliminary assessments of damages from the storm and flooding disaster that began Dec. 1. �There will be more assessments to come as we move through the recovery and restoration process,� Hardin said. �But we�re moving as fast as we can to get help on the ground now.�


# # #