Homeowners concerned as Whatcom County flood recovery funds run out
Whatcom County flood recovery funds running dry
In November 2021, powerful and destructive flooding rocked Western Washington. A short time later, federal aid was sent to help folks there recover—FOX 13's Matt Markovich checks in to see how families are holding up, including some who've run out of money.
SUMAS, Wash. - Despite the recent warm weather, hundreds of flood survivors in Whatcom County are dreading the upcoming fall and winter rains because their homes have yet to be repaired from the floods of last November.
The deputy director for the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Management, John Gargett, said 1,900 people have filed for flooding assistance with FEMA since the 2021 flooding. He said 90 families are in the process of having their properties bought out by the federal government because they won’t be allowed to be rebuilt, or they are waiting for federal funding to have their home’s foundation lifted to a new flood level elevations.
Gargett said it can take years for that kind of funding to be handed out.
"FEMA doesn’t pay to complete repair homes. They don't do that-- [it's]a big misnomer," said Gargett.
According to Gargett, the average loss to a house in Whatcom County from the November 2021 flooding was from $30,000 to $32,000. The average payout from FEMA was about $5,000, he said.
Sumas resident Diane Ackerman said FEMA gave her $10,000, but she needs about $30,000 for the repairs. She was also ineligible for flood insurance because her bank told her she did not live in a flood zone.
"Every day I have off, I try and get more and more done," said Ackerman, who is doing her own repairs to her home.
She never thought that 10 months after flood waters nearly destroyed her home that it would still be in the condition that it's in: livable, but without insulation in some rooms and no siding on the outer walls of the home.
The non-profit Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group is working to fill in the holes that FEMA and government funding don't cover. The group is funded by private donations and is made possible by construction workers donating their time.
The group is working to provide repairs to 55 homes and has collected $550,000 for the effort. In October, volunteer construction workers will be coming to town to help with repairs before the rains begin.
"There are three phases of recovery and the phase that we are in right now is disillusionment," said Lacey De Lange, the lead case manager for the group, of the flood survivors she deals with. "It’s the hardest phase to be in emotionally."