Levy and Breese-Iverson demand equal federal support for Oregon towns

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved emergency funding for the Akawa Butte Fire while denying assistance for two other major wildfires in Oregon. The denials for the Rowe Creek Complex and East Evans Creek fires come as the state faces its worst wildfire season on record.

State officials noted that both the Rowe Creek Complex and East Evans Creek fires exceeded a 200-home impact threshold, which serves as the practical standard for federal approval. Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, and Rep. Vicki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, are challenging the decision and asking the federal government to treat every Oregon community equally.

Rep. Levy, D-Bend, represents the Bend area and argued that the impact on local households should have secured federal assistance for the denied areas. “While I'm glad to see the Akawa Butte Fire getting the funding it needs, the relief can't stop there,” Levy said. “The Rowe Creek Complex and East Evans Creek fires met the standard threshold of impacted households, but they were turned away. That's not right.”

Rep. Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, criticized the federal response as a pattern of neglect toward rural communities. “I've lived in rural Oregon my whole life and sadly this is exactly what we've come to expect from government — same disaster, same need, but not the same help,” Breese-Iverson said. She noted that local communities followed all necessary procedures and called on the federal government to quit treating rural Oregon as an “afterthought” and provide the assistance families are owed.

In a joint statement, the two representatives emphasized the need for statewide unity and urgency from federal officials. “When disaster hits one part of Oregon, it hits all of us,” Levy and Breese-Iverson said. “Central Oregon and every community battling these fires deserve the same support, the same urgency and the same respect from the federal government.”

Rep. Levy and Rep. Breese-Iverson stated they intend to continue their efforts to secure funding for the impacted areas. “We stand together as a state and we're not going to stop pushing until every community gets the funding it needs,” the representatives said.