Gov. Ferguson is asking the federal government to approve an expedited emergency declaration for the ‘extremely serious’ situation.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency in response to flooding occurring throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Flood Warnings and Watches are in effect throughout western Washington through Friday morning.
“I have declared a statewide emergency, and I will be requesting an expedited emergency declaration from the federal government today,” Ferguson said. “We need the federal government to grant that request. This situation is extremely serious.”
The emergency declaration allows the state to seek federal funds for recovery and assistance. An expedited declaration from the federal government would allow access to “life, safety and emergency protective measures” and other federal resources, per Ferguson’s office.
Whether or not the federal government approves disaster relief is unknown. In April, it was announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied federal disaster relief for the bomb cyclone that caused widespread damage in November 2024.
“Obviously, I’m acutely aware of the denial before and I shared my thoughts on that in the past and won’t repeat those here,” Ferguson said Wednesday. “What I’ll say right now is that lives will be at stake in the coming days and we need the federal government to do what’s entirely appropriate here, which is declare an emergency.”
Ferguson said approval would help save lives, homes and livestock. There was a planned 2 p.m. call with the federal government to discuss the declaration. The outcome of that call was unknown at the time this article was published.
Ferguson also asked Washingtonians to “listen carefully to alerts from your county and emergency management departments.”
“If you receive an evacuation order, please follow that order,” he said. “It’s critical to your safety. Thank you to all the first responders who are in the field helping Washingtonians.”
Heavy rain will continue Wednesday. It will gradually decrease Thursday from north to south as the latest system dissipates. By Friday and Saturday, the region will only experience scattered rain showers.
However, flood waters may take days to recede. This means roads could be closed for an extended period of time.