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King County officials are working to provide relief for residents impacted by the recent bomb cyclone weather event.
King County Councilmembers Sarah Perry and Reagan Dunn are introducing legislation that would create an expedited permitting process for home and business repairs due to the bomb cyclone including waiver of fees not covered by insurance.
Any costs for the permits would be absorbed by the county.
The legislation would also expand the county’s grants to include a program for residents who have incurred out of pocket expenses as a result of extended power outages. These expenses could include fuel for generators, spoiled food expenses, short term hotel charges, tree and branch removal, and impacts to farms with produce or animals.
“There are a number of county residents who are uninsured or underinsured who do not have any way to repair their homes or remove fallen trees,” Perry said in a statement. “We need to help these folks make repairs so they can recover from this cyclone and move on with their lives.”
A bomb cyclone – or a rapid intensification of a cyclone in a short period of time – hit the Puget Sound region on Nov. 19. It resulted in over 600,000 homes without power and at least two deaths.
On Monday, King County Executive Dow Constantine issued an emergency order that enabled the activation of the Regional Emergency Operations Center to coordinate with cities and partners like hospitals and the American Red Cross.
The order also allowed the Solid Waste Division to waive service hours and fees for debris removal.
Constantine also directed the King County Sheriff’s Office to increase patrols as much as possible in the unincorporated areas to reassure residents.
King County District Director Carson Coates told The Center Square that cost estimates related to the legislation will not come until the council hears back from Constantine’s office on an implementation plan.
“That being said, funds for the grant program could come from the general fund, or possibly, leftover pandemic funds,” Coates told The Center Square in an email.
King County staff could also pursue a U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan program for uninsured or underinsured homes or businesses impacted by the storm. Funding would then come from the federal government.