President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for 16 Washington counties, including Lewis County, following a winter storm that saw much of the region plunge into freezing temperatures.
The move follows a formal request by the Washington state delegation — including Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez — and comes after Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation related to January’s extreme winter weather.
In a declaration Sunday, Biden wrote that “a major disaster exists in the State of Washington” and ordered “federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms.”
According to the declaration, winter storms brought straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides throughout much of Washington from Jan. 5 through 29. In addition to Lewis County, the declaration applies to Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Ferry, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Klickitat, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Skagit, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
Following the declaration, federal funds will be available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and repair of damaged facilities.
In a letter of support, members of Washington's congressional delegation noted that 11 major disaster declarations have been declared in Washington since 2018.
“While Washington state’s first responders have reacted to these disasters promptly and heroically, the events triggered by these intense winter storms are quickly exhausting the already-strained capacity and resources of our local communities and state agencies,” the lawmakers wrote on April 1.
In Lewis County, the National Weather Service reported temperatures in the Twin Cities area dropped to as low as 5 to 6 degrees during the cold snap, rising only to 10 to 15 degrees during the day at times when factoring in wind chill, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
The storm closed U.S. Highway 12 between milepost 138 east of Packwood and milepost 151 at the summit of White Pass for days due to high winds and debris on the roadway. At its peak, more than 13,000 Lewis County PUD customers were without power.
“These storms caused significant coastal flooding to homes and businesses, road damage, temporary road closures and detours, and extensive damage to public utilities and electrical power systems. The estimated cost to repair the damage to alleviate existing and ongoing impacts exceeds $30 million,” Inslee’s office stated in a March 15 news release.
