MALDEN Act legislation introduced

MALDEN — The Making Aid for Local Disasters Equal Now, the Malden Act was introduced into legislation by Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers on Friday, Nov. 17, to improve the coordination between federal, state, and local agencies in deploying resources to rural communities impacted by natural disaster.

McMorris Rodgers said that the legislation is named after the town of Malden, which was devastated by the Babb Fire in 2020, and rural communities such as Malden in Eastern Washington are at a disadvantage regarding wildfire recovery. “Especially when it takes weeks, or sometimes even months, to reach a decision on a disaster declaration,” Rodgers said.

Mayor of Malden, Dan Harwood, said that if this bill had been in place before the 2020 Babb Road Fire, the Malden community would have been better positioned to support Malden residents and help them rebuild. “The Malden Act is a critically important piece of legislation for small rural communities devastated by wildfires and other natural disasters,” Harwood said.

Rodgers said that the Malden Act would help bridge the gap by improving coordination between federal and local agencies to get the most effective possible resources to those affected by the disaster so they can get their lives back together quickly. “While it won’t fix everything, this bill takes what we learned from the devastating Babb, Gray and Oregon Road Fires and turns it into action we can count on in the future,” Rodgers said.

The bill amends the Stafford Act to ensure that rural communities receive recovery assistance by requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate with state leadership to guide local managers in developing recovery teams.

According to the bill, FEMA must also assist in identifying short- and long-term recovery resources, including resources to prevent secondary natural disasters like flooding, mudslides, and rockslides.

The bill also instructs FEMA to work with the State Emergency Management Agency to provide disaster caseworkers for rural communities if a request for individual assistance is made and denied.