Support For Maui: Oklahoma Congressman Aims To Improve Disaster Relief

It seems more and more frequently, Americans are left scrambling for help by yet another natural disaster, the latest being the devastating and deadly wildfires last week in Hawaii.

A member of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation is leading an effort to make getting that help a little bit easier.

Oklahomans understand what many on Maui are going through right now: a tremendous sense of loss and also the desire to begin rebuilding. It’s a difficult time and many there will need help.

"They’ve already been through one disaster," said Senator James Lankford (R-OK) in an interview Wednesday, "they don’t need another problem."

But Lankford said, unfortunately, that's just what many victims will get, if they're trying to apply for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

"It becomes a very complicated process to actually fill out forms," Lankford explained. "They fill out one form and then they’ve got to go and fill out basically the same form again somewhere else for a different piece on it."

This is something, Lankford said, he's heard over and over, So, earlier this year, he and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Homeland Security Committee introduced the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, hoping to streamline the process of applying for FEMA assistance.

"It’s not changing eligibility, it’s not changing the cost of anything else on it," Lankford noted, "this is just saying, if you’re eligible for this disaster relief, let’s make it easier to actually get to that."

The bill would require that FEMA update its website and reduce paperwork, so that, whether you're a business or an individual, whether the assistance is being offered through FEMA's Individuals and Households Program (IHP) or through the Small Business Administration, there's just one form to complete.

Lankford doesn't blame FEMA for the current level of bureaucracy but says experience has shown improvement is needed.

"Unfortunately," he said, "we’ve had plenty of times in Oklahoma to be able to learn lessons of what’s working, and not working with FEMA."

The legislation easily passed out of the Senate on a voice vote in July. It’s now awaiting action in the House.