Oklahoma

Support For Maui: Oklahoma Congressman Aims To Improve Disaster Relief

Published

1 year ago

August 17, 2023

Support For Maui: Oklahoma Congressman Aims To Improve Disaster Relief

It seems more and more frequently, Americans are left scrambling for help by yet another natural disaster, the latest being the devastating and deadly wildfires last week in Hawaii.

A member of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation is leading an effort to make getting that help a little bit easier.

Oklahomans understand what many on Maui are going through right now: a tremendous sense of loss and also the desire to begin rebuilding. It’s a difficult time and many there will need help.

“They’ve already been through one disaster,” said Senator James Lankford (R-OK) in an interview Wednesday, “they don’t need another problem.”

But Lankford said, unfortunately, that’s just what many victims will get, if they’re trying to apply for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“It becomes a very complicated process to actually fill out forms,” Lankford explained. “They fill out one form and then they’ve got to go and fill out basically the same form again somewhere else for a different piece on it.”

This is something, Lankford said, he’s heard over and over, So, earlier this year, he and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Homeland Security Committee introduced the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, hoping to streamline the process of applying for FEMA assistance.

“It’s not changing eligibility, it’s not changing the cost of anything else on it,” Lankford noted, “this is just saying, if you’re eligible for this disaster relief, let’s make it easier to actually get to that.”

The bill would require that FEMA update its website and reduce paperwork, so that, whether you’re a business or an individual, whether the assistance is being offered through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) or through the Small Business Administration, there’s just one form to complete.

Lankford doesn’t blame FEMA for the current level of bureaucracy but says experience has shown improvement is needed.

“Unfortunately,” he said, “we’ve had plenty of times in Oklahoma to be able to learn lessons of what’s working, and not working with FEMA.”

The legislation easily passed out of the Senate on a voice vote in July. It’s now awaiting action in the House.

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Oklahoma

Watch At 7: Oklahoma's Own Originals Special '75 On 6'

Published

7 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

Watch At 7: Oklahoma's Own Originals Special '75 On 6'

In an Oklahoma’s Own Originals special, watch “75 on 6” at 7 p.m.

Click here to watch it on News On 6 NOW.

It’s a celebration of the role KOTV News On 6 has played in the community since 1949, keeping Oklahomans safe, informed, and entertained.

You’ll see plenty of familiar faces, and perhaps a few you haven’t seen in a long while.

The special can be seen on News On 6 as well as the News On 6 website, news app, and streaming apps for Roku, Amazon Fire stick and Apple TV.

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Oklahoma

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners land in updated ESPN's SP+ rankings?

Published

14 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners land in updated ESPN's SP+ rankings?

The Oklahoma Sooners watched the rest of the college football world in action in Week 12, as they were on their second and final bye week of the 2024 regular season.

OU’s record sits at 5-5 and just 1-5 in SEC play, a disappointing mark for a program that is used to winning and winning big. In the third season under head coach Brent Venables, it’s been a rough go of things in Norman in Year 1 in a new league.

But in at least one metric, Oklahoma may not be as bad as their record indicates. ESPN college football writer Bill Connelly released his weekly SP+ rankings (ESPN+)for all 134 teams at the FBS level.

Connelly defines SP+ as a tempo-and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency, intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking, and is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football.

While the Sooners are far from sniffing the actual Top 25 and are a long shot to making a bowl game for the first time in 25 years, SP+ has them ranked all the way up at No. 27, sandwiched in between Colorado and Virginia Tech.

One saving grace of OU’s poor season, and the most likely reason for the top-30 ranking, is that they’ve played a very difficult schedule. Tulane is one of the best teams in the Group of Five, and Oklahoma beat them by 15 points. South Carolina is far better than anyone expected, and teams like Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, and Missouri have all had their moments in 2024.

Unfortunately, the schedule doesn’t get any easier, as Alabama comes to town on Saturday, and Oklahoma will face LSU on the road a week after that. The Sooners will have to win at least one of those matchups if they want to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since 1998.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: November 17

Published

22 hours ago

November 18, 2024

Press Room

Join News 9 Sports Director Dean Blevins, News On 6 Sports Director John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland for this week’s edition of the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz.

Sunday, November 17th 2024, 11:27 pm

By:

News 9,

News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY –

This week on the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz, Dean Blevins, John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland begin the show with their opening takes.

Toby’s Top 3

Thunder Recap

Viewer Question

OU Offensive Coordinator Candidates

OU, OSU, TU Opponent Preview

UCO Road To Division II Title