Snohomish County learned today it will receive an additional $2 million award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help purchase private property destroyed, damaged or at risk for flooding in the SR 530 Slide area. The announcement comes just months after FEMA awarded the county $5.9 million through its Hazard Mitigation Program Grant (HMPG), commonly referred to as the voluntary buyout project, to help the county purchase at-risk parcels. This brings the total award amount to $7.9 million. No additional buyout awards are expected.

“On behalf of the county, I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone involved in this process, from our emergency management partners to our congressional delegation,” said Snohomish County Executive John Lovick. “We are fortunate to have so much support at the local, state and federal level.”

Washington State Emergency Management will work with Snohomish County to merge the additional funding into the existing $5.9 million of reimbursement funding that was awarded earlier this year. Since the initial award was announced in June, the county has been working with state officials, FEMA, and property owners to move this effort forward. The county has sent offer packets to most of the property owners who have completed all FEMA required documentation. This is a complex federal program that takes time to implement, however the county is working as quickly as possible to support implementation for the community.

Participation in the program by property owners is voluntary. Land acquired by Snohomish County will be set aside as open space for flood mitigation, as required by the grant.

As with any real-estate transaction, the parcels must have clear title in order for closing to occur and the county to obtain ownership. The county team will work directly with interested individual owners to complete the transactions.