The governor made the announcement during a news conference at the state emergency operations center in Camp Murray and said he would be requesting an expedited emergency declaration from the federal government, seeking to unlock federal resources and financial support, which would be “key” to addressing the “extremely challenging situation that Washingtonians are facing right now.”
“The impact on Washingtonians is significant now, and it's going to be significant in the coming days,” Ferguson said. “And that is an understatement.”
Ferguson emphasized the need for people in affected areas to listen carefully to local alerts and follow evacuation orders in areas that have been hit hard. He said he would visit impacted areas in the coming days, noting the situation is “extremely serious,” with the next few days being “critical.”
Major Gen. Gent Welsh, commander of the Washington National Guard, joined Ferguson. He said there would be serious impacts to communities in the next 24 to 48 hours, and said more than 100 guard members would be activated to the Marysville area by the end of the day Wednesday, with 200 more to be activated by the end of the day Thursday.
Seeking federal disaster help has been more difficult under President Donald Trump, who has sought to reduce the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And he has denied requests that would have been routinely approved under past presidents from both parties.
Washington state requested FEMA assistance in 2025 for destruction caused by the bomb cyclone that hit in 2024. The Trump Administration denied that request for assistance to Washington.
Asked if he was concerned the federal government may again deny Washington of federal resources, Ferguson said he was going to meet Wednesday with officials with FEMA Region 10 and do everything he can to lay out the impacts of flooding on the state.
“We need the federal government to do what's entirely appropriate here, which is to declare an emergency that taps into the resources and the assistance from the federal government that literally can help us save lives and help individuals save their homes, their property and their livestock,” he said.
Robert Ezelle, director of the Washington Military Department's Emergency Management Division, called the situation "dangerous, complex and rapidly evolving," noting the state emergency operations center is working with county and tribal partners to quickly respond to requests of assistance. He added the state is preparing to evacuate about 75,000 people who are living along the Skagit River, and that evacuation orders have already been issued.
"We anticipate levees — not just on the Skagit River, but on many others — being overtopped," Ezelle said. "And we're hearing reports that the flood wall down in Arlington could be overtopped."
He added that there are "significant impacts on a number of rivers across the state." Local governments are fully engaged and emergency operation centers have been activated, Ezelle said. He cautioned Washingtonians to take the appropriate actions to stay safe.
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