Labor Department Gives $1M to Support Washington Residents Affected by Atmospheric River in December

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded US$1 million in grant funding to support disaster-relief jobs and employment and training services for Washington residents in response to ongoing severe storms and flooding.

Beginning Dec. 9, 2025, an atmospheric river caused severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides in the Pacific Northwest, particularly western Washington. The sustained impacts of the disaster include levee erosion and failure risks, dam emergency action plan activations, flooded homes and businesses, evacuations, sheltering operations, agricultural damage, and extensive local road closures.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued an emergency declaration for the storms, enabling Washington to request federal assistance. This award will support recovery efforts in Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Whatcom, and Yakima counties, as well as federally recognized tribal communities within the disaster area.

This Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant allows the Washington State Department of Employment Security to provide people with temporary jobs focused on cleanup and recovery efforts, as well as support employment and training services to eligible community members.

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, National Dislocated Worker Grants provide a state or local board with funding for direct services and assistance in areas experiencing a major economic dislocation event that leads to workforce needs exceeding available resources.