LEGISLATURE 2025-26 / RON MUZZALL: FEMA denies disaster aid for windstorm damage
Spencer Pauley reports from the Washington State Legislature for The Center Square. Read the whole story.
(The Center Square) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied Washington’s request for disaster relief funding tied to November’s bomb cyclone, leaving millions in damages uncovered.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said FEMA denied the application for federal disaster relief on April 11 without an explanation for why. This funding would have assisted with an estimated $34 million in damages caused by the heavy wind storms.
A letter from FEMA Region X to the Governor’s Office simply states that “based on our review of all the information available, it has been determined that supplemental federal assistance under the Stafford Act is not warranted.” No additional details were provided.
They Said It
Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, represents parts of Snohomish and Island Counties in the 10th Legislative District. Muzzall told The Center Square his district was largely spared the storm’s worst effects, and he’s not aware of any significant FEMA-eligible damage in the 10th District, despite Island County being included in the governor’s declaration.
Still, he supports Ferguson’s plan to appeal.
“I support the appeal. Although the storm this past November may not have created a significant need for federal assistance, our district has experienced flooding and other events for which denials could pose a serious problem,” Muzzall told The Center Square in an email.
