COCONINO COUNTY — Coconino County Deputy Manager and Flood Control District Administrator Lucinda Andreani testified to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs on the federal response to the threat of wildfire and post-wildfire flooding.
Andreani recently served on the Congressionally established Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission that produced a report with 148 reccomendations for Congressional consideration. During a Senate hearing entitled “Nation On Fire: Responding to the Increasing Wildfire Threat,” Andreani joined fellow Commissioners and representatives from all levels of government to provide testimony to Senate leadership that included Senators Sinema, Romney, Peters and others.
“I can tell you firsthand: The scale of these crises rapidly overwhelms the capacity of local governments,” Andreani said during her opening remarks. “While there are opportunities for federal support, much must be done to improve the accessibility, immediacy, and effectiveness of the federal response to the wildfire crisis.”
During testimony, Andreani focused on how the federal response to wildfire can be improved to better reflect the realities of wildfire and post-wildfire flooding. This included emphasis on modifying legislation such as the Stafford Act, which governs how disasters qualify for public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“After the Pipeline Fire in 2022, we had 45 major flood events that summer. But once you have a flood event, FEMA creates a 72-hour period during which you are not eligible for assistance. Cumulatively the total amount of impact to public infrastructure was over double the current financial threshold for a declaration, but we never met the declaration qualification given this policy. That means we’re not eligible for reimbursement for the costs expended to clean up and repair roads and drainage infrastructure, and we’re not eligible for long-term flood mitigation grants through the Public Assistance Program.”
Andreani also spoke to the need to facilitate better cooperation and flexibility between governmental agencies in the realm of wildfire risk reduction and response. She referenced agreements such as the Good Neighbor Authority, which allows government entities such as counties to support federal entities such as the U.S. Forest Service in their conduct of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) studies that must be completed before forest restoration and post-wildfire flood mitigation projects.
“Both FEMA and the Forest Service are typically limited in their willingness to allow third parties to potentially fund conducting the actual NEPA process on their behalf. They’re very limited in the resources that they have available internally to do that physical work on the ground,” Andreani said. “Under the Good Neighbor Authority, we are able to step in and help not only with the NEPA process but also with repairs to Forest Service roads and trails.”
In concluding the hearing, Chairman Gary Peters noted, “This is an important conversation, and certainly one that does not end today. We’ve got a lot of work to do, including a lot of recommendations to act on.”
For a full recording of the hearing and full texts of the written testimonies submitted by Andreani and other witnesses, visit: www.hsgac.senate.gov/hearings/a-nation-on-fire-responding-to-the-increasing-wildfire-threat/.