FEMA releases money to elevate homes, part of 2021 Whatcom County flood relief
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2025 Whatcom County flooding
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The federal government has released money promised to help victims of Nooksack River flooding that ravaged parts of Whatcom County in 2021.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) last week freed nearly $4 million in funds through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to elevate 16 properties in Sumas, Ferndale and Everson and protect them from future flooding. The grants were requested in 2022 as part of a program to raise homes and other buildings above the floodplain, or to buy out the owners and raze properties.
“This support is long overdue to communities impacted by the devastating floods in November 2021. I will keep fighting for federal dollars to help Northwest Washington communities recover from natural disasters and prepare for future disasters,” U.S. Rep Rick Larsen said in a statement early Wednesday. Larsen, an Everett Democrat, represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Whatcom County.
Members of the Whatcom Long Term Recovery Group — also known as Whatcom Strong — have been helping to raise homes and provide other assistance to Whatcom County residents.
“One of the most effective ways we are doing this is through home-elevation projects, lifting homes above flood levels to reduce risk and provide long-term peace of mind for families,” the Whatcom Strong states at its website.
Torrential rain from two powerful atmospheric rivers in November 2021 caused an estimated $150 million in damages, and hundreds of people were left homeless amid a housing shortage and global pandemic. Nearly 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and nearly 600 families displaced, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu praised the flood-relief efforts of Washington’s congressional delegation in an email to The Bellingham Herald.
“I greatly appreciate the efforts made by Rep. Larsen as well as Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Murray. It has been a long and frustrating wait for our community members who have seen their homes flooded multiple times in recent years,” Sidhu said.
Larsen is the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which provides FEMA oversight. He has been critical of FEMA’s disaster preparedness in 2023 and has said the agency didn’t provide adequate aid to Whatcom County residents. In his statement, Larsen said that he is leading bipartisan effort to reform FEMA, streamline the federal government’s disaster response and recovery programs, and return FEMA to cabinet-level status.
“The bill rewards effective state and local preparedness, cuts red tape and ensures that relief efforts are fast, fair and free from political bias,” Larsen said.
What about December?
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson in January requested a federal disaster declaration from President Trump and $21.3 million in FEMA assistance for families in the wake of severe flooding in December 2025 that damaged thousands of Whatcom County homes.
The federal government has yet to take any action regarding Ferguson’s request.
As a result of Washington’s December flooding, more than 100,000 people were under evacuation orders, 383 emergency rescues were conducted, one person died and thousands of Washington homes were damaged, according to a Jan. 21 report from Gov. Bob Ferguson requesting federal action.
A total of 1,248 homes were flooded in communities along the Nooksack River, from Maple Falls to the river delta in Lummi Nation, according to Ferguson’s report.
Damage to Whatcom County businesses and government infrastructure alone has surpassed $23 million, including more than $2 million in repairs that must be made to roads, according to the county Public Works Department and the Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.
