County Urges Congress to Approve Disaster Relief Funding, Including Prior Roads Disasters

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today joined with Representative Jared Huffman and other Congressional officials to urge leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives to reconvene its members and approve new disaster relief funding in response to another season of unprecedented natural disasters. As federal, state and local officials and first responders continue to prioritize recovery efforts in areas hit by recent hurricanes, it has become obvious that additional funding is needed not only for these events but also for prior disasters across the country, including Humboldt County.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) manages more than 100 open disasters at any one time, and while the agency funds some immediate response efforts during a time of emergency, a significant portion of its funding is dedicated to reimbursing activities related to prior disasters. According to its monthly reports to Congress, FEMA is still reimbursing disasters from as far back as 2005. With additional funding, FEMA will be able to continue funding current response efforts as well as reimburse open projects from prior disasters.

"Our hearts go out to the people in the Southeast, many of whom have had their lives turned upside down by these hurricanes," said Rex Bohn, Chair of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. "People are in need of immediate help, and I know local governments in those areas need it too in order to respond and begin the long recovery process. At the same time there are lots of communities around the nation that have been waiting for years for disaster funds. Congress needs to get back in session immediately to provide the resources we all need."

FEMA's September Monthly Disaster Relief Fund report noted that the agency spent roughly $47 billion in fiscal year 2024 on past storms. However, Humboldt County continues to have several open roads-related disaster projects with FEMA that have not received funding and would benefit from Congress approving additional disaster relief.

Until FEMA obtains sufficient appropriations, Humboldt County must wait to receive more than $11 million in reimbursements from two events alone in 2017 and 2019.

The winter storms of 2017 damaged more than 400 sites across the county road system. Work to repair the roads has largely been completed, and while the county already paid for this work years ago, it still awaits roughly $7 million in federal reimbursements. The winter storms of 2019 also caused significant damage. FEMA reimbursement for that event is estimated at $4 million.

There have been two other federally declared emergencies in Humboldt County since 2019 with estimated reimbursements totaling nearly $5 million, though actual payments to Humboldt likely remain years away.

"This is the exact scenario our Board talked about when we decided to put Measure O on the ballot, playing out in front of our eyes; constant states of natural disasters and constant gridlock in Congress when it comes to funding emergency road repair," said Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell. "Our roads are suffering the brunt of these disasters and the status quo is just going to end up in failed local roads. We need Congress to come back immediately and approve this funding so we can finally be reimbursed for some of these years-old roads projects."

These claims do not represent all of the recent disasters that have affected county roads. Some disasters did not reach federal thresholds for damage to warrant a federal emergency declaration, including the December 2022 earthquakes, this year's winter storms that pushed the Mad River to its highest levels in 60 years, closing roadways across the county, and the landslide at Fleener Creek.

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