Bill seeks bolstered federal disaster response for underserved communities

U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Gary Peters (D-Ml) have introduced a bill they said strengthens Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster response within underserved communities facing federal aid barriers.

The legislators indicated the Achieving Equity in Disaster Response, Recovery and Resilience Act would create the Office of Civil Rights, Equity and Inclusion (OCREI) within FEMA to increase access enhancing disaster assistance quality for populations that include minority rural and disabled communities.

“From wildfires to floods, natural disasters disproportionately impact marginalized and underserved communities, and these communities often face additional challenges in receiving federal disaster assistance,” Padilla said. “We need to close these gaps and improve equity in disaster relief efforts. This legislation will empower FEMA to work closely with underserved communities in California and across the country and help reduce disparities in the delivery of disaster assistance.”

The lawmakers maintain minority, rural and disabled communities regularly receive lower and less quality disaster assistance while being disproportionately impacted by disasters.

“We have repeatedly seen that when marginalized and rural communities face disasters – they are not only the most exposed to damage and the least able to recover financially – but they also often have more difficulty obtaining assistance from the federal government,” Peters,
chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said. “From severe weather events in Michigan and across the nation that have devastated families and businesses – to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic – recent emergencies have shown we must do more to protect our most vulnerable and underserved communities. This bill will help ensure that our federal government is giving all communities equitable access to disaster assistance.”