SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has asked President Donald Trump for a major disaster declaration along with $21.3 million in individual assistance for people whose homes were damaged in December’s catastrophic flooding.

Ferguson’s request, made in a letter to Trump on Wednesday, covers only part of the cost to the state from the flooding.

The state will make a separate, likely much larger request by Feb. 18 for Federal Emergency Management Agency aid to cover costs of repairing storm-damaged highways, levees and other infrastructure.

More than 100,000 Washington residents were under evacuation orders during the storms, 383 emergency rescues were conducted, one person died, and nearly 4,000 homes were damaged, according to Ferguson’s office.

“The scale, duration, and severity of this disaster overwhelmed local and state response capabilities,” Ferguson said in a news release. “Thousands of families experienced devastating loss. Federal assistance is essential to help Washingtonians recover from these historic floods.”

Ferguson’s request for individual FEMA assistance includes Chelan, Grays Harbor, King, Lewis, Pacific, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom counties, as well as 15 federally recognized tribal nations.

If Trump approves the major disaster declaration and individual aid, it would unlock direct payments for state residents whose homes were damaged in the flooding. Residents who might be eligible would have to apply for the help directly with FEMA.

The individual assistance program provides up to $43,600 to help pay for temporary housing, repairs or other needs for people who face uninsured losses.

Trump approved initial federal help in the immediate wake of the December storms, signing an emergency declaration that allowed quick deployment of FEMA-trained search and rescue teams and other support.

FEMA disaster aid has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, but Trump has publicly linked some of his FEMA aid decisions to electoral politics, boasting of awarding money to states that voted for him while denying some requests by Democratic-led states.

The agency denied Washington’s request for help in repairing $34 million in damages from 2024’s bomb cyclone, despite an assessment showing the state qualified under the agency’s state threshold for assistance.

Washington state and county officials are still tallying up the total damage caused by the series of heavy storms that drenched the region between Dec. 5 and Dec. 22.

Transportation officials told lawmakers this month the cost to repair roads and highways will be at least $40 million, but cautioned that’s a preliminary estimate.

The most severe damage hit Highway 2, where stretches were buried under 10 feet of debris and sections of road entirely washed away. Nearly 50 miles of the highway, between Skykomish and Leavenworth, were closed for about three weeks.

The highway has been reopened on both sides of Stevens Pass, but full repairs will take months and cars a detour remains in place through Tumwater Canyon.

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