Lost work due to WA flooding? Deadline to apply for unemployment is near
The deadline is fast approaching to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) if your work was impacted by the historic December flooding across Washington.
The assistance is available to legally eligible workers, including those who are self-employed, who lost their main source of work due to the flooding that occurred between Dec. 5-19, 2025, but do not otherwise qualify for unemployment benefits.
The deadline to apply is Wednesday, June 10.
To qualify, recipients must have had at least one week of unemployment or partial unemployment after the date of the disaster. They also need to have been unemployed for at least one of the following reasons:
- Your business or your employer’s business closed due to the disaster.
- You couldn’t reach your business or your employer’s business due to the disaster.
- You were scheduled to start a job or work for yourself. Due to the disaster, the work no longer exists, or you were unable to reach it.
- You became the major supporter of a household. The previous head of the household died due to the disaster.
- You couldn’t work at a job or for yourself due to an injury from the disaster.
Workers living or working in Chelan, Grays Harbor, King, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston or Whatcom counties may be eligible.
Affected workers from the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Lummi Nation, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Nisqually Indian Tribe, Nooksack Indian Tribe, Puyallup Tribe, Quinault Indian Nation, Samish Indian Nation, Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, Squaxin Island Tribe, Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Tulalip Tribes or Upper Skagit Indian Tribe may also be eligible.
Visit the Washington State Employment Security Department’s DUA webpage for step-by-step application instructions.
