As rivers began to recede, the federal government on Friday approved Washington’s request for aid to respond to ongoing record flooding.
Gov. Bob Ferguson said he received a call from U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to let him know that President Donald Trump had signed Ferguson’s request for an emergency declaration. This will allow the state to seek federal funds in response to the flooding.
“I expressed my thanks to Secretary Noem on behalf of the people of the State of Washington during this extremely challenging time,” Ferguson said in a statement.
Around midnight, the Skagit River crested at a record 37.7 feet near Mount Vernon, surpassing the mark set in 1990. The flooding didn’t quite hit the peaks in the city that some officials were warning of, and that could have toppled the city’s floodwall.
After thousands of Skagit County residents were directed to evacuate their homes Wednesday and Thursday, authorities early Friday morning told thousands more in Burlington to leave immediately due to a flooding slough.
Members of Washington’s National Guard were going door to door to let residents know they should evacuate from the city, though some were allowed to return hours later. Officials lifted evacuation orders in some other areas, as well, including Orting in Pierce County, which sits between the Carbon and Puyallup rivers.
The National Guard was also helping in swift water rescues in Burlington. In all, more than 300 members of the National Guard were assisting in Skagit County. California Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed search and rescue teams to Washington to help.
The Snohomish River has also set a new flooding record. Both the Skagit and Snohomish were forecast to remain in the major flooding stage into Saturday. Rivers as far east as the Yakima in Benton County were flooding at least moderately.
Some major highways remain closed, including a long stretch of U.S. 2 between Skykomish and Leavenworth.
There were concerns that Washington may have trouble accessing federal assistance to respond to the flooding, given Trump’s posture on disaster aid. The Republican president has appeared to favor GOP-led states for this help.
This year, he denied Washington’s request for federal aid in the aftermath of the devastating bomb cyclone windstorm that hit the state late last year.
On Wednesday, Ferguson, a Democrat, asked for a statewide emergency declaration from the feds.
This emergency declaration covers Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom and Yakima counties, along with tribal nations in those areas.
“Thank you for the fast emergency declaration,” Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, said on social media. “Thank you for helping respond to our infrastructure needs. Thank you for supporting our first responders. Thank you!”
Ferguson is planning to host a press conference at a levee in Tukwila on Friday afternoon. He’s set to be joined by new King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, state Adjutant General Gent Welsh and Robert Ezelle, director of the Military Department’s Emergency Management Division.
This is a developing story.
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