EVERETT — The federal government is giving a $1.5 million grant to Snohomish County to assist recovery efforts following the Oso Mudslide last March.
The county wants to use the money to buy out affected properties in the upper Stillaguamish Valley, but the details are still being worked out.
The money comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program.
“The plan is to use the grant money to help people directly affected by the mudslide and flooding,” rather than public projects, said Rebecca Hover, a county spokeswoman.
The county wants to use the money as matching funds for a federal property buyout program.
“The buyouts are our No. 1 priority,” she said.
The county has some flexibility in how it disburses the money, but it must meet the grant’s criteria. The money comes from the grant’s Sanctions Fund and is intended to help communities affected by major declared disasters with long-term recovery efforts.
“We’re working out the details as fast as we can, so we can get it to people” as soon as possible, Hover said.
But, “I can’t say if it’s going to be weeks or months,” she said.
“As we approach the six-month anniversary of the tragic mudslide, we must continue to work to ensure every resource possible is available for the long-term recovery of the Stillaguamish Valley,” said U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., in a news release announcing the grant.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
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