UNITY Act Introduced to Strengthen Disaster Response
This week, I introduced H.R. 4088, the Understanding Noncontiguous Infrastructure and Threats Year-round (UNITY) Act, a bill focused on strengthening disaster response and recovery in communities like ours. The UNITY Act will ensure FEMA and other federal agencies take a serious look at how they recruit and retain emergency response staff in the Northern Marianas and other noncontiguous areas of the U.S. It also specifically directs the Government Accountability Office to review how disaster recovery after Super Typhoon Yutu compares with recovery efforts in the mainland, so we can learn, improve, and be better prepared. This is a big win for the CNMI. Finally, the bill launches a pilot program to test new technology for faster, more accurate damage assessments, prioritizing the most remote communities first. This bill brings our experiences to the national conversation and pushes for solutions that work for the Marianas.