President Barack Obama declared a disaster Monday for 33 of Washington's 39 counties hit hard by severe winter weather earlier this year. The declaration includes Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties, which are already federal disaster areas because of January flooding. The move will open up federal and state funding channels and allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide assistance to government entities which had property damaged by heavy snow and ice. The declaration does not cover damage to private property. The declaration issued Monday by Obama was in response to public facility damage and emergency response costs from the storm that affected the area from Dec. 12 through Jan. 5. "This is the largest federal snow disaster declaration in the state's history," said Gov. Chris Gregoire. "Local and state agencies have struggled to meet the costs to respond to the record-setting snowfall that occurred across Washington last December. The President's decision can provide some vitally needed aid for these agencies." The declaration authorizes Federal Emergency Management Agency grants that can defray 75 percent of the eligible damages to state and local agencies, Indian tribal governments and some private nonprofit organizations. Lewis County Commissioner Ron Averill said the declaration will help the county recoup some of the costs brought on by removing snow from roof tops and plowing in the East County that took place at the height of the winter weather, which was followed by widespread flooding. He said that crews removed snow from 90 roofs throughout the storms. The county's Emergency Management Department estimates that the damage to public infrastructure from the winter weather, combined with overtime and supply costs, could top $1.6 million. That sum includes damage reported by eight separate government entities and non-profit organizations. Chehalis City Manager Merlin MacReynold said the declaration won't provide much in the way of funding for the Rose City as the winter weather did not effect the Interstate 5 corridor as severely as higher elevations. Still, in December, the city of Chehalis used about 30 loads of sanding material, along with 1.5 tons of rock salt that was used to de-ice rail lines as well as roads. Work crews worked 12-hour shifts at some points, even clearing streets on Christmas Day, accumulating 145 hours of overtime, according to a report recently released by the city. "We obviously bought a lot more sand and some salt," MacReynold said. "But relative to costs, it really just wasn't that much. We did have some overtime costs but nothing that pushed us beyond our budget." Centralia Finance Director Brad Ford said the situation is similar in Centralia. Ford said the city is "more focused on flooding right now," and that it would be putting together a financial analysis of the cost of snow removal and overtime in the next few days. Centralia, Chehalis and Lewis County are still in the process of recouping funds through FEMA from the Cowlitz River flooding in 2006 and the Chehalis River floods of 2007 and earlier this year. Application procedures for local governments regarding the latest declaration will be explained at a series of applicant briefings with locations to be announced in the affected area by recovery officials, according to a release from FEMA. Approved public repair projects are paid through the state from funding provided by FEMA and other federal agencies. The Associated Press contributed to this report
