President Obama has cleared the way for Washington state to receive federal aid for areas affected by the severe winter storms in January.
Obama on Monday declared a federal disaster for 11 counties, Clallam, Grays Harbor, King, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston and Wahkiakum.
Renton suffered $225,105 in damages from the January snow storm and ice storm, part of a $32.3 million reimbursement request Gov. Chris Gregoire submitted to the federal government.
Federal aid through the The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe winter storms of Jan. 14-23.
Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities, according to a federal press release.
Renton suffered $225,105 in damages from the January snow storm and ice storm, part of a $32.3 million reimbursement request Gov. Chris Gregoire has submitted to the federal government.
About $5,500 of Renton’s damage is related to damage to the netting at the Maplewood Golf Course. The rest includes contract labor costs for tree removal and overtime costs to remove snow, woody debris and other impacts from the storm, particularly from the public works and fire department.
“This funding will be very important to local governments because it will speed recovery from January’s severe winter weather and ease the budget burdens created by emergency response work and storm clean-up,” said Gregoire in a news release.
