SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. — Ten days after a breach along the White River forced hundreds of residents in Pacific to evacuate their homes, the city and King County Emergency Management are trying to secure financial assistance for their recovery.
Home or business owners, as well as renters, can complete damage assessment forms to potentially receive monetary aid, though it’s not guaranteed. Emergency management officials with King County offered an open house at Pacific City Hall on Friday for people to submit the forms in person and have their questions answered.
Quint Manolovitz, who lives near the HESCO barrier where the breach happened, told KOMO News he contacted his insurance agents to confirm his renters’ insurance and what damages were covered.
RELATED: White River breach forces evacuations, Flash Flood Warning in Pacific
“Unfortunately, flooding is not covered,” he retold. “Theft, fire, everything but flooding.”
While almost all of the floodwater that swamped Manolovitz’s neighborhood has receded, he said he’s still feeling the impacts, literally.
“It’s cold,” Manolovitz exclaimed. “The ductwork is all flooded. Insulation under the house is all flooded, so I have some of those Amazon oil-filled space heaters.”
His home is one of 220 houses that City of Pacific officials say were damaged by the White River’s flooding at its peak.
ALSO SEE: Floodwaters recede in Pacific, but residents remain evacuated amid levee repair efforts
“We do believe that all of those people have now been placed back in their homes, and they are in the process of cleanup,” explained Debbie Audrey, a public information officer for the city. It’s a process that comes with a cost, she added.
Therefore, the city is urging impacted people to submit a damage assessment form to King County Emergency Management for the chance to secure financial assistance either from the county, state, or federal government.
“We are a very small town. We have limited resources,” Aubrey continued, “So we will be relying on our partners, our county partners, and hopefully our federal partners, to help us with the recovery.”
Someone from the county’s emergency office explained that both Gov. Bob Ferguson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay have announced plans to designate recovery funds for impacted people. However, it’s still unknown if Washington state will receive federal monetary relief.
More than 200 damage assessment forms have been submitted across King County so far, and most people have reported that they do not have flood-specific insurance, according to King County Emergency Management.
RELATED: ‘One of the most devastating disasters’: Washington faces long-term recovery after floods
This likely means financial support from elsewhere will be critical to hundreds of people locally.
“There are a lot of people who are going to need a lot of financial assistance to repair all the damage,” Manolovitz said while surveying his own neighborhood’s destruction.
All impacted counties must submit their initial flood damage assessment numbers to the state by Dec. 28, King County officials told KOMO News. But King County will continue accepting completed damage assessment surveys after that date.