AWC joined 11 counties, 15 Native tribes, Gov. Bob Ferguson, and all four corners of the Legislature to request a federal disaster declaration after December’s historic floods.

In the letter, we urged the federal government to act swiftly on the Governor's request for a major disaster declaration in response to the unprecedented flooding across Washington state from December 5-22, 2025.

The letter highlighted the following:

• Nearly 4,000 homes were deeply affected by the storm, and more than 11% of those homes were severely damaged or destroyed.
• The catastrophic storms displaced more than 100,000 people, including the residents of two entire cities that were evacuated.
• Approximately 400,000 families and individuals lost power for a significant period of time.

More than 25 cities experienced major local impacts, including those in the following regions:

• Northern Puget Sound. The cities of Everson, Sumas, Nooksack, and Ferndale each experienced substantial flooding that left residents’ homes underwater. Everson’s city wastewater treatment plant was forced to shut down for days. Nooksack and Sumas experienced water treatment plant closure impacts, along with biohazards, from the Everson plant’s overflow upstream from the cities. Everson and Sumas city fire stations flooded, and Everson City Hall flooded and currently remains closed, reducing service capacity during the city’s recovery.
• Sound Cities Region. The cities of Kent, Auburn, Tukwila, Renton, Maple Valley, and Pacific also experienced widespread flooding of homes and businesses, along with overwhelmed stormwater systems that rendered many residential and heavy commercial roadways impassable for days. More than 200 households in the City of Pacific were flooded, with 600 residents evacuating their homes and overwhelming local shelter capacity.
• Central Puget Sound. The Town of Concrete went under townwide evacuation orders, and the nearby cities of Hamilton, Sedro-Woolley, Burlington, and Mount Vernon all experienced heavy flooding and mudslides, along with inundated homes and neighborhoods. Further south, the cities of Monroe and Sultan evacuated residents due to flooding. Issaquah, Bellevue, Carnation, and Duvall also experienced significant street flooding.
• Eastern Washington. The cities of Leavenworth and Benton City also experienced flooding and wastewater treatment shutdowns affecting thousands of residents.
• Southwest Washington. The cities of Kalama and Chehalis saw storm flooding, major road closures, and wastewater impacts.

Washington’s Governor and Legislature have directed $3.5 million in state emergency funds to provide immediate relief, which includes $1 million in direct aid to more than 2,600 households.

There are two crucial federal actions we need to help the people and businesses of Washington. AWC and its partners are asking the administration to approve a major disaster declaration and the rapid release of FEMA individual assistance funding.