Last month, nearly every county in my district was impacted by severe flooding from Tropical Storm Debby. Towns were evacuated and residents had to be rescued as flood waters engulfed homes, farms and roads.

In the days following, teams of volunteers surveyed the damage and disaster relief organizations mobilized to help. Community members came out in droves to donate food, water and cleaning supplies.

The resilience and determination of the people there is truly inspiring and in the face of overwhelming destruction, our first responders showed extraordinary courage and dedication.

As elected officials, we are responsible for putting forth policies that protect the constituents we serve and help local officials respond more quickly and efficiently to emerging problems.

This includes changes to ensure better maintenance of creeks and streams to help minimize the impact of flooding. Late last year, the Senate passed two bills I sponsored addressing stream maintenance and giving counties and municipalities greater flexibility in handling obstructions and flood-related hazards in local waterways.

Senate Bill 689 allows local government organizations to apply for a permit for continuing maintenance for at least 10 years for the streams within their jurisdiction.

Senate Bill 690 will create a program that allows counties to opt in to address hazards within their streams by granting emergency maintenance permits in consultation with their county conservation district.

I spent a great deal of time on the ground talking with residents and emergency responders in the days following the flood. The overwhelming message was the need to be able to get in the

streams to clean them. Right now, doing so requires a permit from

Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, a process that is lengthy, tedious and inefficient.

Proper stream maintenance protects people, land and bridges from flood damage. The need is immediate, and our local officials are in the best position to manage and maintain our streams.

Eliminating unnecessary bureaucratic barriers and red tape can help prevent more widespread damage and destruction.

Both bills passed the Senate with bipartisan support and await action from the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

I encourage residents and landowners of the 23rd District impacted by flooding to contact Chairman Greg Vitali and your representative and voice your support for the bills. These are valuable and needed changes that allow our local communities to do the work safely and efficiently.

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State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, represents Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.