SNOHOMISH COUNTY, MAY 23: When a disaster strikes, the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is the county’s hub for communication and response.
Whether it is an earthquake, a landslide, or a wildfire, Snohomish County DEM’s mission is to prepare residents and to partner with local organizations to mitigate destruction and facilitate responses.
But what happens when a third of Snohomish County DEM positions are in jeopardy of being cut?
Under the direction of Donald Trump’s administration, the federal government is considering eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency, otherwise known as FEMA.
The role of FEMA is to coordinate the federal government’s response to natural disasters, assisting state and local governments and promoting disaster preparedness.
Many local agencies apply for FEMA grants not only to recover from disasters but to provide additional funding for emergency preparedness. Grant funding is a crucial source of financial support, allowing departments to maintain their preparedness and response capabilities.
President Trump and his administration have been open in their plans to minimize FEMA, with the most recent move dismissing Cameron Hamilton, the acting head of the agency, after he advocated for FEMA to Congress earlier this month.
In Washington State, impacts of downsizing are already being seen, from funding for disaster preparedness courses being cut to recovery funds for November’s Bomb Cyclone storm being denied.
“One consistent message we are getting from the federal government now is to expect less support for immediate recovery after a disaster. Think: rebuilding damaged roads,” Kari Bray, public information officer for Snohomish County wrote in an email.
Bray said that a third of the core emergency management staff are funded by federal grants, which are currently in jeopardy. Positions funded by the grants include community outreach, assessing and mitigating risk, and implementing training for disaster response.
Grants have accounted for roughly 35% of all of Snohomish County DEM revenues since 2020, and more than 40% of the funding budgeted for 2025.
“We don’t yet know all the details of how these changes at the federal level will impact how we provide emergency management services to our residents in Snohomish County,” Bray wrote. “We do anticipate profound changes.”
What could change
This year Snohomish County DEM will focus on its Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the broader Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Snohomish County DEM did not receive a federal grant that they had anticipated would be made available under the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which supports organizations as they work to reduce their hazard risk.
Hazard Mitigation Plans are mandated under the Disaster Mitigation Act, which requires updates to the plan every five years. The plan identifies communities’ greatest hazards, Scott North, public information officer with Snohomish County DEM said.
The county had planned to use the funding to cover more than 70% of the anticipated $500,000 cost of updating the Hazard Mitigation Plan.
This included a contract and personnel support to 38 partner organizations in completing annexes that would have enabled them to access future hazard mitigation funding. Now, local governments could be forced to find an alternative revenue stream after a disaster.
“Without the BRIC funding, the county does not have capacity to help all our partners meet their planning needs, meaning some would not meet the requirements to access mitigation funding that helps communities build back better after a disaster, not just replace what was broken,” Bray wrote.
During a disaster local governments have inconsistent access to funds. When the economy is forced to shut down, the flow of revenue becomes scarce, as seen during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Snohomish County DEM provides emergency management to unincorporated areas in the county, not including Bothell, Everett and Marysville which have their own emergency management services.
For the second consecutive year, DEM was key in staging nearly 40% of all of the emergency management training opportunities that occurred statewide. The department hosted more than 70 emergency management classes focused on a wide range of skill sets in 2024.
“Many of the courses we host or help teach are part of the FEMA curriculum. It is still too early to gauge what changes – if any – are likely on that front,” Bray wrote.
Bray wrote that they anticipate offering less emergency management training in the coming year. Part of that is a planned shift toward exercises with partners and less emphasis on classroom instruction.
“Regardless of what happens, we will remain focused on life safety, and we know we won’t be alone. As we saw during the Oso mudslide and in every other disaster to hit us, big and small, people in this community rise up to take care of each other. That’s how it works here during the hard times,” Bray wrote.
Be prepared for disasters
Wildfire season in Washington is fast approaching. The Department of Natural Resources has confirmed an above-average fire season for Eastern Washington. In 2023 more than 165 thousand acres burned.
The Pacific Northwest also needs to prepare for a strong earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone, which scientists estimate will hit within the next 200 years. To see what hazards are a risk in your community, see here.
One way to prepare for any disaster is to create a “Go Bag” with essentials including snacks, water, warm clothes, and medical supplies. Snohomish County DEM has a checklist here.
SnoCoAlerts provides emergency notifications via text, email and phone to residents countywide. Sign up at snocounty.org/alerts.
“The more prepared you are, personally, the more resilient your community will be,” North said.
