Wahkiakum residents urged to report winter storm damages

Wahkiakum County Emergency Services Director Dolly Tawater is urging all county residents who sustained flood or wind damage in the storms of December 2-4 to report the loss to her.

The county hasn't been included in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster declarations that will provide funds to private property owners, she said.

"This is not a mistake," Tawater said. "Until Wahkiakum has reported enough damage to impact the county we will not be declared.

"But the good news is we still have time to report damage. Once again I can’t stress enough the importance of reporting your damages. I cannot express how important it is to you and your community to report any damage to your home that was caused by the December flooding event."

People should report damage to her via the sheriff's office, 795-3242 east of KM Mountain and 1-877-795-3910 west of KM.

"If we are not declared there will be no FEMA funds for Wahkiakum County residents," she said. "For people who do not have flood insurance or home owners insurance this will be devastating."

FEMA has published a 1- 800 phone number for people to call and report damages, but if the county from which they're calling isn't a declared county, callers are told they are not eligible to register.