As storms inundated Washington state, federal grants for flood mitigation work sat on hold

As Washington state residents take stock of widespread damage , officials say the recent succession of storms highlights why proactive work to protect communities from flooding is so essential. But the Trump administration has delayed or attempted to cut federal funding for some of those projects, leaving a slate of the state’s major initiatives in limbo. A person stands atop of property engulfed by floodwater Sunday, in Snohomish, Wash.Brandon Bell / Getty Images Neighbors work to clear a drain Dec. 12 in Burlington, Wash.Natalie Behring / Getty Images A sign for a Christmas tree farm as floodwater from the Snohomish River covers Marsh Road off State Route 9 in Snohomish on Dec. 11.Jason Redmond / AFP via Getty Images Neighborhood volunteers help fill sandbags for downtown businesses along the Skagit River in Mount Vernon, Wash., on Dec. 12.Jason Redmond / AFP via Getty Images A vehicle drives past a flooded neighborhood Tuesday in Snohomish.Brandon Bell / Getty Images April Grant salvages belongings from her home in Sumas, Wash., on Monday after it flooded during last week's downpour.Brandon Bell / Getty Images Washington had secured tens of millions of dollars in federal grants for projects to elevate houses, move people away from flood-prone areas and protect homes with new levees, among other measures. But earlier this year, the Trump administration attempted to cancel roughly $182 million in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for natural hazard mitigation projects in the state, prompting a court battle. And according to Tim Cook, Washington’s state hazard mitigation officer, another $31 million in disaster prevention grants have for months been awaiting approval from Kristi Noem, the U.S. secretary of homeland security, per a department policy she implemented this summer. The recent atmospheric river storms have forced at least 1,300 rescues and assisted evacuations , killed one person and flooded thousands of homes. Such storms transport moisture from Pacific waters in the tropics and can look like fire hoses on weather radar systems. Even more severe floods from such events are anticipated in Washington as global warming causes more precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow and makes rainfall more intense. The federal funding for the state that has been held up under the Trump administration might not have made an immediate difference during this month’s storms, given the work’s long timeframe, but the point is to protect communities from future deluges, Washington officials say. “This event - and the one coming whenever in the future - reinforces the importance of investing in the pre-disaster mitigation efforts to reduce damages. If folks on the ground weren’t believers before about the need to do pre-disaster mitigation, they certainly are now,” Cook said. He added that every dollar invested in such programs saves six, according to the National Institute of Building Sciences . Neither FEMA nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment. A White House official referred NBC News to DHS. The Trump administration announced in April that it planned to end...

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