Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Amends Stafford Act to rush aid for disaster areas
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A proposed federal act’s acronym is named after Malden since it is designed to help rural communities find government aid after a disaster.
The Making Aid for Local Disasters Equal Now (Malden) Act is designed to speed up disaster assistance. The bill is named after the Town of Malden, which was 80% destroyed by the Babb Road Fire in 2020.
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-5th District, introduced the bill on June 15.
“The devastation caused by the Babb Road fire took my breath away. The town of Malden was destroyed – the city hall, post office, and fire station – all burned to the ground,” said Rodgers. “Nearly one year later, and families are still struggling to rebuild their homes and piece their lives back together. It’s heartbreaking.”
If passed and ratified, the Malden Act would amend the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1988. It created federal laws on how to help communities impacted by natural disasters.
The Malden Act would require the president to approve or deny a disaster declaration request within 30 days. If the request isn’t denied, it’s approved.
FEMA would be required to work with state officials to provide guidance to local emergency managers on developing a recovery team and identify recovery resources, including resources to prevent secondary natural disasters like flooding, mudslides, and rockslides.
It would require FEMA to work with the state emergency management to make caseworkers available for rural communities if a request for individual assistance is denied.
“The Town of Malden lends its unequivocal and strong support for the Malden Act … had such a provision been in place prior to Sept. 7, 2020, the lives of our area residents would be much improved today, as would our town’s recovery efforts. … We look forward to the passage of the Malden Act,” stated Dan Harwood, mayor of Malden.
Bill Stevenson is the former editor of the Whitman County Gazette, Colfax Daily Bulletin and Franklin Connection. He has nearly 30 years of journalism experience covering news in Eastern Washington.
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