SEATTLE — President Donald Trump's approval last week of federal aid for Washington's destructive December floods potentially unlocks tens of millions of dollars to reimburse the state, counties and cities for repair and recovery costs.

It also allows individual residents and families to apply to receive money to cover uninsured flood losses, such as severe damage to homes.

Washington suffered more than an estimated $182 million in damages following the storms in December that brought 18 days of rain and strong winds, downed power lines, washed out roads and breached levees.

Trump's approval of a major disaster declaration allows state and local governments to ask for federal reimbursement to cover 75% of eligible cleanup and repair costs.

Exactly how much federal cash will be forthcoming will depend on detailed applications for aid and reviews by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Brionna Aho, a spokesperson for Gov. Bob Ferguson, said the state will sign a formal agreement with FEMA and establish a work plan. The state's emergency management division will coordinate with local governments and state agencies to submit applications for reimbursement.

Because of the complex funding model, Aho said, it could be four to six years before we have a final total" of how much flood aid FEMA provides.

In addition to Washington, Trump approved major disaster declarations for Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, South Carolina and South Dakota on Saturday.

How individuals can seek help

For people who had their own losses, the disaster declaration opens up possible help — but there are restrictions.

The disaster declaration allows people to apply for FEMA individual assistance in King, Chelan, Lewis, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties, and in several tribal nations in those areas.

People whose homes or property were damaged by flooding should first file claims with their insurance providers, according to FEMA. Federal money is meant to pay for costs not covered by insurance or other aid.

Then they can apply for federal aid online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. They can also use a FEMA mobile phone app.

The individual assistance program provides up to $43,600 to help pay for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and families recover from the effects of the disaster.

Ferguson pegged the possible amount of individual assistance for Washingtonians at about $21 million when he sought the help from Trump in a letter in January.

People who don't qualify for FEMA awards may be eligible for low-interest Small Business Administration loans, which are available to some homeowners and renters.

Aid for cities and counties

The bigger dollars from Trump's disaster approval will likely flow to state and local governments to help reimburse the costs of debris removal and repairs to infrastructure like roads and bridges.

In announcing Trump's disaster declaration over the weekend, FEMA did not specify how much money will be authorized for Washington.

A FEMA Region 10 spokesperson said in an email Monday the funding will depend on "applicant needs and eligible damages" and that the agency will share updates as payments are awarded.

"FEMA is committed to supporting the state as well as local communities and tribal partners as they move forward in the recovery process," the spokesperson wrote.

Aid will be available for 24 counties affected by the flooding, plus cities, tribal governments and certain nonprofit groups, according to FEMA.

A FEMA coordinating officer has arrived at Camp Murray, the state National Guard headquarters, to help administer the aid, with a full "incident management team" expected to arrive Tuesday, said Karina Shagren, a spokesperson for the state's Emergency Management Division.

"We’re currently working with them to nail down details and implement as many assistance programs included in the declaration as we can, Shagren said in an email.

Sheri Badger, a spokesperson for King County Emergency Management, said the county will work with the state and cities on applications to get reimbursed for repair costs, including some road and levee repairs.

More than 100,000 Washington residents were under evacuation orders during the December storms, one person died and nearly 4,000 homes were damaged, according to state estimates.

Portions of Highway 2, a major cross-state route, were closed for months, with the highway only fully reopening to two-way traffic in February.

The state stepped in to help local governments while awaiting the Trump administration's decision. In a recently approved transportation budget, the Legislature included $45 million in loans for counties and cities to deal with the damage, counting on federal assistance to eventually pay that money back.

Mitigation money in doubt

One part of Washington's request for federal aid was not mentioned in FEMA's approval of flood dollars.

Ferguson had sought up to $36.6 million in disaster mitigation grants to pay for upgrades such as flood walls to help prevent or lessen damage from future natural disasters.

FEMA gave no indication that money is on the way. The agency's regional media office did not respond Monday to a question about the status of the request.

The Associated Press reported Trump has not approved any state's requests for such disaster mitigation grants in more than a year.

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