Whatcom County offers flood relief focused on families with young children
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Whatcom County is offering funds to local organizations that help families with young children who suffered damage or losses related to the storms and flooding in early December, even as an estimate of the disaster’s full impact remains unknown.
A total of $750,000 is available after it was approved unanimously during a special meeting of the Whatcom County Council on Dec. 30. Money comes from the Healthy Children’s Fund, a property tax for preschool, child care and other programs that voters passed in 2022.
“Healthy Children’s Fund recovery funds are not general disaster relief. They are intended to supplement — not replace — other assistance such as insurance, FEMA, or state and federal programs, and must directly support the health, safety and well-being of children from pregnancy through age 5,” the county Department of Health and Community Services said in a statement Thursday.
Funds from the child care tax can be spent on short-term needs such as:
- Housing-related such as rent or deposit help, utility payments and temporary lodging.
- Basic needs such as food and groceries, transportation and diapers.
- Case management such as support from an organization, service coordination and eligibility checks.
Organizations should apply to distribute funds if they “have experience serving families with young children and can provide culturally responsive services, including language access,” according to the statement.
Contracts with approved organizations will provide funding through reimbursement, the Health Department said. Priority should be to families who are low income, face housing instability, have limited savings, health concerns, caregiving responsibilities or barriers to receiving other assistance.
Sarah Simpson, supervisor of the Whatcom County Child and Families Program, said the county will seek “established community partners” to provide aid.
“Families with young children are often the most vulnerable following extreme weather events,” Simpson said in the statement.
Information about the aid program is available at the Health Department website.
A series of storms hit Northwest Washington starting Dec. 9, 2025, with strong wind and heavy rain that caused widespread flooding across Washington, including the Nooksack River.
More than six weeks after the disaster, Whatcom County officials have not announced an estimate of total damages caused by flooding of homes and businesses in riverside communities and the cost of repairing roads and other infrastructure countywide.
Two weeks ago, the Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management told The Herald in an email that they had processed more than 700 applications for disaster relief.
Flooding in 2021 from a similar series of storms caused more than $150 million in damage across Whatcom County, especially in the hard-hit communities of Everson, Nooksack and Sumas.
Washington State Department of Transportation officials estimate that repairs to roads statewide with cost $40 million to $50 million. Repairs are under way along Mount Baker Highway that will require a complete closure of the road in February.
Gov. Bob Ferguson has asked President Trump for a disaster declaration and $21.3 million emergency aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to previous Herald reporting. Ferguson has issued a statewide disaster declaration, and Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu issued a similar proclamation Dec. 9.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 5:15 AM.
