The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

President Bush has issued a major disaster declaration for 19 Washington counties as a result of the severe winter storms, landslides and mudslides of December 14-15.

Under this declaration to the Public Assistance (PA) program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), assistance is made available to entities in the following counties: Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, King, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston and Wahkiakum.

The PA program helps public agencies respond to disasters, recover from their impact, and mitigate against future disasters. PA grants reimburse State and local governments, tribal authorities and certain private non-profit (PNP) organizations of a governmental nature for eligible costs associated with debris removal and emergency protective measures as well as permanent repairs and replacement of public buildings and infrastructure. FEMA reimburses 75 percent of eligible cost.

All interested PNPs should begin the process by registering with FEMA through the state. FEMA will classify those PNP facilities as either critical or non-critical and will take their application or refer them to the Small Business Association for a low-interest disaster loan to cover its property damages. Some examples of PNPs that may be referred to the SBA are food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, youth programs, YMCAs and YWCAs. PNPs may contact SBA toll free at 800-659-2955.