Flood Preparation

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains Nooksack River gauges that measure the height of the water and also makes predictions about the change in flows. Flood stage is considered 18 feet in Ferndale, but many areas experience localized flooding in periods of heavy rain prior to the official flood stage.

• View NOAA's River Gauge at Ferndale
• City of Ferndale Facebook Page

Prepare Your Household

• Take Winter By Storm "Get ready for heavy rains and flooding" Checklist (PDF)
• Red Cross Flood Safety Information
• Ready.gov - Important emergency preparedness information for you and your family, regardless of the emergency
• Floodplain Management

Sand and Sandbags

• Sand and sandbags will be made available to the public for use on private property upon "Emergency" declaration by the City. 
• In an Emergency, the public sandbag station will be set up in the Phillips 66 Ballfields Parking Lot located on Second Avenue (5532 Second Avenue). Please bring your own gloves and shovels.
• In "non-emergency" situations, sand and sandbags for private property can be purchased at hardware or home improvement stores.

Volunteers

If you would like to volunteer to fill sandbags during a flood, please call City Hall at 360-384-4302 to be directed. Volunteers must be over the age of 16 and must check in and out with City staff. 

Ferndale's Auxiliary Communications Service is part of the Ferndale Emergency Resource Network (FERN), which is a consortium of emergency response volunteers who meet monthly to ensure Ferndale is prepared for any emergency or natural disaster, and they play a vital role in supporting the City of Ferndale with volunteer support during emergency situations such as sandbag filling during a flooding event. Also included in the FERN group is the Ferndale Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Ferndale School District, Northwest Washington American Red Cross, the Whatcom County Volunteer Mobilization Center, and the Whatcom Unified Emergency Coordination Center.

For more information about Ferndale ACS, click here. 

Debris After the Flood

Public Works will be doing clean-up of City facilities and rights-of-way and damage assessment for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Call City Hall at 360-384-4302 if you have flood debris on your personal property and you reside in Ferndale City Limits. Otherwise, please call Whatcom County Public Works at 360-778-6230.

Emergency Repair Permit

Repairs to homes and businesses located within the Special Flood Hazard Area (100-year Floodplain) that were damaged by the December 2025 Nooksack River Flood Event require the approval of an emergency repair permit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) established regulations within this area that the City is responsible for administering. The City recognizes that the recent flood events may have affected your property and belongings and we are trying to make the process to document the impacts as easy as possible for you. If your property was damaged during the

flooding event that occurred between December 10^th and 12^th of this year, you must apply for an Emergency Repair Permit. There will be no fees required to submit for the Emergency Repair Permit provided you contact the Community Development Department and submit the information required for the permit by January 31, 2026.

Information required for an Emergency Repair Permit:

Property Owner Name:

Site Address:

Description of Damage:

Itemized Estimated Cost to Repair:

For structures within the Special Flood Hazard Area our floodplain regulations (FMC 15.24) require the City make a determination of whether the structure has been Substantially Damaged. This determination is based on a comparison of the cost estimated for the work required to restore the building to its pre-damage condition compared to the market value of the building(s) themselves (excluding land value). When the cost to repair equals or exceeds 50-percent of the market value of the building, your building is considered Substantially Damaged.

If your building is Substantially Damaged due to the flood event, you will be required to bring the building into compliance with the flood damage-resistant provisions of the Ferndale Municipal Code (FMC 15.24). The most significant requirement for residential homes is that the lowest floor, as defined in the code, must be elevated to at least one (1) foot above the base flood elevation (BFE). You may wish to contact your insurance agent to understand how raising the lowest floor higher than the minimum required elevation can reduce NFIP flood insurance premiums.

Construction activities related to flood damage that are undertaken without a proper permit are violations and may result in enforcement action. Any work performed other than what is necessary to repair the damage may require an additional permit. Please contact City Staff at (360) 384-4006 with questions, or stop by City Hall and come up to the second floor. We can accept the information for the Emergency Repair Permit in person, via e-mail, or regular mail.

INCREASED COST OF COMPLIANCE

If your structure is substantially damaged and you have flood insurance through the National

Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), you may be eligible for up to $30,000 of additional coverage (Part D – Increased Cost of Compliance or ICC) to assist you in bringing your structure up to the current flood standards (elevating, floodproofing, relocating or demolishing the structure). If you lost your policy documentation during the flood, ask your adjuster for a copy; there is a section on ICC coverage and eligibility in NFIP policies. To access your ICC coverage, you will need a Substantial Damage Determination from our office.

Please be aware that you will need to submit a proof of loss and substantial damage determination to amend your initial flood insurance claim within 60 days of the date of the loss to access the ICC coverage.  If you need additional time for filing your claim it is possible to request an extension of the filing deadline. Talk to your insurance agent or adjuster for more information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Electrical Permits, Inspections, Disaster Recovery FAQʼs https://www.lni.wa.gov/licensing-permits/_docs/DisasterRecoveryFAQ.pdf

Federal Emergency Management Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Desk Reference

https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_nfip_substantial-improvement-substantial-damage-desk-reference.pdf

Increase Cost of Compliance Coverage Fact Sheet

https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/fema_increased-cost-of-compliance_factsheet.pdf

FLOOD INFORMATION AND RESOURCES – CLICK HERE A resource page has been set up for those who are seeking to find resources or give resources in response to the recent flood event.  Please follow the link provided for contact information for help, volunteer opportunities, or ways to donate.