Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 12, 1999
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke requests federal disaster declaration for 11 counties

OLYMPIA — Gov. Gary Locke has asked President Clinton to declare a federal disaster area for winter flooding and landslide damage in 11 Washington counties.

"A series of severe winter storms triggered landslides and flooding that caused more than $10 million damage to road and utility systems and destroyed more than 72 homes," Locke said.

Locke requested federal disaster assistance to help repair public infrastructure, such as roads and utilities, in 10 of the 11 counties ¾ Clallam, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Snohomish and Thurston counties.

"Storm damage has caused severe economic hardship, especially in rural counties where roads, rail lines and utilities sustained major damage," Locke said. In Pend Oreille County, a winter landslide destroyed a section of the only rail line that connects the county's largest employer to markets and raw materials.

Flooding was particularly severe in the Ocean Shores area of Grays Harbor County where storm-driven waves damaged homes and ripped up roadways.

Locke requested federal aid for individual disaster victims in five of the 11 counties ¾ Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Mason, Pierce and Thurston counties. If approved, individual assistance could include such programs as temporary rental assistance and temporary storage of household goods.

Landslides hit especially hard in Thurston County where 61 homes in the Carlyon Beach area have been declared unlivable. "Many landslide victims face catastrophic financial losses because there is no insurance available to cover landslide damage to homes and personal property," Locke said.

Locke proclaimed a state of emergency in 12 counties because of winter storm flooding and landslides between Jan. 29 and March 11, 1999.

For further information, contact Robert Harper, State Emergency Management Division of the Washington Military Department, 1-800-688-8955.

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