Still waiting for answer on FEMA disaster aid

OLYMPIA — Storm victims seeking government help to repair or replace homes damaged by this week's storm remained in limbo Friday, waiting for President Bush to declare the affected counties a disaster area.

It's not clear how long that will take.

Gov. Christine Gregoire on Thursday asked Bush and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to declare a disaster emergency in hard-hit Lewis and Grays Harbor counties, where flooding damaged hundreds of homes and businesses and closed Interstate 5 for three days.

More counties also suffering from the high winds and drenching rains may be added later.

At the time of the request, Gregoire said, "I can't tell you how long it will take, but I have a commitment from the head of FEMA ... that it will be expedited."

On Friday, both the governor's office and the state Emergency Management Division said they still weren't sure when the federal government will act. FEMA officials on Friday wouldn't make a prediction, either.

"I've seen them take a week, and I've seen them take a month," FEMA spokesman Mike Howard said.

Maj. Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, director of the state military department, said in an e-mail that Bush recently has approved requests from five governors within 48 hours.

If the declaration is made, limited federal assistance will become available.

Homeowners who don't have flood insurance, or are uninsured, potentially could receive up to $28,800 to help pay rent and make repairs.

"You'd have some assistance to get started on recovery, but you're clearly not going to rebuild a house for that," said Rob Harper, a spokesman for the state Emergency Management Division.

But rebuilding houses is what's needed in some of the hardest-hit sections of the state.

Tony Anaya and his wife, Claudia, and their two daughters, Nancy, 14, and Carey, 10, came back to their once-flooded Centralia house Thursday morning and barely recognized the place. The entire house, all three bedrooms and the bathroom, smelled like fertilizer and rotting sewage.

In that hardest-hit urban region, an estimated 300 to 400 homes have been damaged or destroyed by floodwaters, said Capt. Ron Wehnau of the Salvation Army, which is taking a lead role in the Centralia relief effort. Elsewhere in Lewis County, an estimated 400 more homes and businesses have reported damage, said Sgt. Stacy Brown of the Lewis County Emergency Operations Center, which is coordinating relief efforts outside Centralia.

An unknown number of businesses also may be out of operation for weeks or months, leaving "many people who are not only out of a house, but also out of work," Wehnau said. "A lot of these people live from paycheck to paycheck."

As residents await federal help, much of the assistance is coming from each other as well as church and community groups, local governments and volunteer organizations.

The Red Cross and United Way have been coordinating or providing shelters, food and other supplies.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent one large truckload of cleaning supplies to Centralia from Salt Lake City on Friday morning. Four more truckloads are expected, said Dave Claridge, a church member and a deputy in the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.

And the Washington National Guard has been delivering large truckloads of supplies — clothes, pet food, hay, diapers, nonperishable foods and even some lettuce — to upriver communities such as Pe Ell, Doty and Curtis. Lt. Carlos Cabello estimated that the Guard delivered 14 to 15 truckloads Thursday.

No federal aid will be available unless the federal government declares the counties a disaster area. And anyone who contacts FEMA seeking federal money or loans will be turned away until a declaration is made, officials said.

First, the state has to show there has been substantial damage to uninsured homes; insured homes aren't eligible.

"You're looking at dozens of homes, not ones or twos," said Harper, of the Emergency Management Division. "That's about as precise as I can get it."

The state receives damage reports from counties and sends the information to FEMA, which studies the information and passes it on to the president.

Officials urged patience.

"There isn't going to be, within a matter of hours, immediate assistance," Harper said. "If you have immediate needs, let's get those addressed and then we'll go from there."

When it comes to emergency needs, such as food, shelter and medical care, FEMA is not the place to turn to in Washington.

Local emergency workers and state officials handle that kind of immediate help. Several hundred National Guard troops and Red Cross volunteers also are in the region.

The state taps an emergency fund to pay for supplies.

Relief workers still were going door to door Friday to check on people in areas cut off by floods.

No overall figures were available on the number of lost or damaged homes. And there was no cost estimate for the total amount of damage caused by the storm.

The number of people staying in shelters has dropped rapidly. There were 195 people who stayed in shelters Thursday night, down from about 650 Wednesday.

The state Department of Transportation reported more progress in opening roads. Only three state roads had closures: Highway 6 in Pacific and Lewis counties, Highway 96 in Snohomish County and Highway 101 along Hood Canal.

Interstate 5 near Chehalis is back to normal with all lanes open to traffic.

Times reporters Haley Edwards and Hal Bernton contributed to this report.

Andrew Garber: 360-943-9882 or agarber@seattletimes.com