by Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard
June 16, 2026
The deadline has passed to apply for federal assistance in response to Washington’s flooding last year, with over $11 million distributed so far.
More than 1,200 households have tapped the funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The cutoff to apply was last week, but some applications are still being processed, so the $11.2 million handed out is likely to rise.
“I appreciate the hard work of so many to get the word out to Washingtonians that this funding was available to them,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “I’m glad that so many Washingtonians got assistance to help them recover following December’s historic flooding.”
Still, it’s just over half of the sum Ferguson requested based on initial estimates of the need and that President Donald Trump OK’ed earlier this year.
The money can help flood victims repair their homes or find stable housing, but it won’t make them whole. About half has gone toward housing assistance, while the other half has been earmarked for other needs, like child care, replacing or repairing personal property or vehicles and hotel stays.
In the historic flooding late last year, nearly 3,900 homes were damaged. Over 100,000 Washingtonians were ordered to evacuate, and hundreds had to be rescued.
FEMA is also working with over 150 state, local and tribal governments, as well as nonprofits eligible for other assistance to deal with infrastructure damage. Trump approved potentially tens of millions more dollars for this purpose, with the state estimating the flood damage at $182 million.
It could take years before it’s clear how much FEMA reimburses in total based on the time it will take to complete all repairs.
The U.S. Small Business Administration, meanwhile, has signed off on over $14 million in low-interest loans to businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters affected by the flooding.
Officials implored residents across 10 counties and many tribal nations to apply for the individual assistance ahead of the June 10 deadline. A FEMA spokesperson said it’s unclear how many aid requests are still outstanding. In some cases, the federal agency could extend the deadline. There were more than 2,500 applications.
“It’s still going to be a full-court press to process those applications that are still in the works,” Robert Ezelle, director of the Military Department’s Emergency Management Division, said in a meeting last week.
“Huge shout-out and thank you to FEMA for the essential services they provide,” Ezelle added.
FEMA assistance centers in Snohomish and Sumas will remain open for a while longer to help applicants. Nineteen such centers across western Washington garnered over 1,000 visits from residents.
The state had offered its own similar assistance, but restrictions on who can access it left most of the money unused. Of $2.5 million in cash assistance, only $175,000 had been distributed as of last month.
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Ferguson has said he’d like to pursue changes to the guidelines to open up the state’s funding to more people in future disasters.
Some of the aid was also closed off to avoid duplication with FEMA dollars.
Another pot with $1 million from the state was quickly doled out to over 2,600 households.
As of Friday, the state was also still waiting for a response from the Trump administration after denying Ferguson’s request for $36 million in federal funding for projects meant to protect from future flooding. State officials appealed the decision, but haven’t received a response, said Karina Shagren, spokesperson for the Washington Military Department.
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