TO
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO
THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS
ASSEMBLED:
We, your Memorialists,
the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in
legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
WHEREAS, Parts of Western
Washington received the highest amount of rainfall in state history between the
months of November and February, raining for ninety-one consecutive days and
producing over fifty-five inches of rain in King County; and
WHEREAS, Parts of the
Olympic Peninsula, i.e., Lilliwaup, received over one hundred fourteen inches
of rain in a four-month period; and
WHEREAS, Sixty-one homes
have been damaged and twenty-six homes are uninhabitable in the area known as
Carlyon Beach in Thurston County, with property losses estimated at over ten
million dollars; and
WHEREAS, Ground water
flooding and landslides in Thurston County have directly impacted at least
seven hundred and sixty-five residents, many of whom are elderly or have
special needs; and
WHEREAS, A landslide in
the Aldercrest neighborhood in Cowlitz County has damaged one hundred and
thirty-seven homes to date, and at least fifty additional homes are threatened;
and
WHEREAS, Ground water
problems will cost over two million dollars to repair and currently no water or
sewer systems are in operation; and
WHEREAS, Shoreline
bulkheads are failing, and public facilities expenses are estimated at one
million dollars, excluding the cost of geotechnical assistance; and
WHEREAS, Washington State
Department of Transportation estimates of highway damages reach eleven million
two hundred two thousand dollars, and ten million dollars of those damages are
in Mason County alone; and
WHEREAS, Local government
estimates of damages to county roads and city streets reach seven million three
hundred ninety-two thousand four hundred thirty-five dollars; and
WHEREAS, Governor Locke's
emergency proclamation now includes six western counties and directs state
government to support emergency response activities as needed around the state
and authorizes the Washington Military Department and its Emergency Management
Division to coordinate state agencies in the affected areas; and
WHEREAS, County officials
are continuing to assess damages to determine sufficient damage for
justification of federal assistance; and
WHEREAS, When damage from
an event is so great it is beyond the capability of local and state government
to repair, the Governor can ask the President to declare a disaster, thus
making a variety of federal disaster assistance programs available to help
restore communities to their predisaster condition; and
WHEREAS, The federal
disaster assistance programs available may include housing and relocation
assistance, individual and family grants, funding to restore public
infrastructure and roads, tax exemptions for the relocation of evacuated
citizens, funding for geotechnical studies to prevent future damage, and hazard
mitigation;
NOW, THEREFORE, Your
Memorialists respectfully pray that if the Governor requests federal
assistance, the President and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will
respond favorably to the request and authorize the needed maximum available
disaster recovery support to address the needs of Washington's citizens
devastated by the record rainfall.
BE IT
RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the
Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States, the President of
the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each
member of Congress from the State of Washington.
