U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) was the lead Republican on legislation recently introduced to improve the ability of rural water and wastewater systems to prepare for and respond to natural disasters or other extreme weather events.
Hyde-Smith and U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) reintroduced the Rural Water System Disaster Preparedness and Assistance Act, which would establish an emergency preparedness and response technical assistance program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide grants to rural water associations.
“Our rural water associations are on the frontlines when disasters strike, and our legislation gives them critical pre-disaster assistance to strengthen their ability to prepare and respond in these situations—whether tornadoes, hurricanes, or other disasters. It amounts to a smart investment in long-term resilience by ensuring rural water systems have the tools to address vulnerabilities and train for emergencies before disasters hit,” says Hyde-Smith.
The new USDA technical assistance program created by this legislation would help associations that operate rural water and wastewater systems prepare and respond to natural and man-made disasters. These associations would receive technical assistance to identify vulnerabilities, map water infrastructure, develop disaster protocols, and train employees for emergency and disaster response.