OKLAHOMA 912 IS YOUR TIME. AND WE CONTINUE OUR COVERAGE OF THE DEADLY TORNADO OUTBREAK HERE IN OUR STATE. THE CLEANUP HAS STARTED IN THE COMMUNITIES HARDEST HIT. AND THE NEXT STEP IS FEDERAL HELP. SO TO WALK US THROUGH THE TIMELINE AND THE DETAILS HERE, WE HAVE STATE HOUSE SPEAKER CHARLES MCCALL. UH, SPEAKER MCCALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US. MY PLEASURE. KYLIE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. ALL RIGHT, SO BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT FEDERAL HELP, STATE LEADERS, THEY HAVE HAVE TO GO IN AND FIRST ASSESS THE DAMAGE. NOW, YOU WERE ONE OF THE FIRST BOOTS ON THE GROUND THE DAY AFTER IN SULFUR. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE? WHAT DID YOU SEE THERE? WELL, DRIVING INTO SULFUR, IT LOOKED LIKE A DISASTER AREA. IT LOOKED LIKE A WAR ZONE. IT WAS IT WAS IT’S TOUGH. I MEAN, IT’S, UM, THE MOST PERSONAL THING ABOUT IT IS, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE, I’VE REPRESENTED THEM FOR 12 YEARS, KNOWN SEVERAL OF THEM MY WHOLE LIFE. UM, IN THE AREA AND AND FOR SULFUR, THEIR HISTORIC DOWNTOWN CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT HAD WAS REALLY ON THE KIND OF A IN A RENAISSANCE PHASE, YOU KNOW, AND IT HAD IT WAS REVITALIZED AND THERE WAS A LOT OF GREAT ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN THAT AREA. AND IT’S COMPLETELY, UH, COMPLETELY BE TURNED TO RUBBLE. SO, SO TOUGH TO WALK THROUGH THERE VERY, UH, UM, THERE’S JUST A LOT OF GRAVITY. THE PICTURES THAT YOU SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY LOOK THEY LOOK BAD, BUT BEING THERE IN PERSON, IT’S IT’S THAT’S THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN FULLY GRASP THE, THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE AND THE IMPACT. IT’S GOING TO HAVE ON PEOPLE’S LIVES. OH, I’M ABSOLUTELY SURE. AND WE DID HEAR FROM AUTHORITIES YESTERDAY DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE. AND ONE THING THAT STUCK OUT TO ME WAS, UM, STUCK OUT TO ME WAS THE FIRE CHIEF SAYING THAT THIS IS A STRONG COMMUNITY AND THEY WILL REBUILD. SO I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT FEDERAL HELP IN DOING THAT. SO THE GOVERNMENT REQUIRES LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO PICK UP THE TAB FOR 25% OF THE AID THAT THEY’RE GOING TO SEND THERE. YOU ARE HOPEFUL THAT YOU CAN PICK UP HALF OF THAT BILL. IS THAT CORRECT? YES. I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THAT THE OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE WILL APPROPRIATE THE MONIES ONCE THE DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS ARE COMPLETED, WE’LL KNOW WHAT THE ESTIMATED PRICE TAG IS. UM, AND THEN WE’LL BE ABLE TO CALCULATE THE STATE’S PORTION, UH, IN HISTORICALLY, WE HAVE STEPPED IN AS A STATE AND PROVIDED THAT 12.5%. WE DID THAT LAST YEAR FOR THE CITY OF SHAWNEE. AND THE WAY THAT WORKS IS WE WILL WE WILL SET UP AN APPROPRIATION THAT WOULD GO TO THE OKLAHOMA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY. AND THEN FROM THERE, THAT MONEY WOULD BE AVAILABLE AND BE UNLOCKED, ALONG WITH THE WITH THE FEDERAL MONIES. THE LOCAL LEVELS WILL HAVE TO COME UP WITH 12.5%. WE’RE ALREADY IN COMMUNICATION WITH UM, WITH MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT, COUNTY GOVERNMENT. AND THEN OTHER GOVERNMENT, TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS AS WELL. UM, THAT COULD POTENTIALLY HELP TO TO RAISE THAT 12.5%. SO, SPEAKER MCCALL, THE NEXT STEP HERE IS ASSESSING THE DAMAGE, RIGHT? THAT’S CORRECT. SO SO JUST WALK US THROUGH THAT. HOW HOW LONG DO YOU EXPECT THAT TO TAKE. AND GETTING TO THAT NEXT STEP WHICH, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT NEXT STEP IS AFTER ASSESSING THE DAMAGE. WELL, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, THE DIRECTOR OF FEMA WILL BE HERE IN OKLAHOMA TODAY. UM, AND THAT’S A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS EQUATION. AND OPENING UP THE FUNDING AND GETTING IT FLOWING, THE CITY’S OBVIOUSLY CITY OF SULFUR, THEIR GOVERNMENT IS UNDER WAY OF CLEAN UP AND WORKING WITH STATE AGENCIES ON STAGING DEBRIS AND COMMUNICATING WITH DEQ EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. THE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HERE IN OKLAHOMA HAS DONE A GREAT JOB SO FAR, BUT IT’LL BE UP TO THE STATE TO FOR US TO GET THE MONEY APPROPRIATED TO THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION. I THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY. I THINK THE STATE’S PIECE WILL BE THE WILL BE THE FASTEST, UH, DEPLOYING OF RESOURCES. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. TYPICALLY FEMA IS GOING TO REQUIRE EVERYTHING TO BE DOCUMENTED AND FROM EVERYTHING FROM THE CITY, THE COUNTY, THEIR EXPENDITURES, UM, AS WELL AS THE PEOPLE THAT THEY’RE GOING TO HELP WITH HOUSING AND WITH RESTORATION OF THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT AS WELL. SO IT’S IT IS A LENGTHY PROCESS, TYPICALLY ON THE FEDERAL SIDE, BUT THE STATE WILL MOVE AS THE STATE WILL MOVE VERY SWIFTLY TO MAKE SURE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HERE IN OKLAHOMA HAS MONEY TO DEPLOY. AND VERY THANKFUL KYLIE THAT SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ALREADY DEPLOYED INTO SULFUR AND THESE OTHER AREAS HIT TO HELP THE PEOPLE DIRECTLY. RED CROSS THE CHURCHES, EVEN COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES REACHING OUT TO ME SAYING, HEY, WHERE CAN WE SEND CLOTHING? WHERE CAN WE SEND YOU KNOW, NECESSITIES TO HELP, HELP THE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN DISPLACED? YEAH, WE TALK ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA STANDARD ALL THE TIME. IT’S ON FULL DISPLAY RIGHT NOW. I DO WANT TO ASK YOU, WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HARDEST HIT RIGHT NOW? AND FOR THOSE OKLAHOMANS WHO ARE WATCHING FOR WHAT’S NEXT? WELL, I’M PROUD TO BE AN OKLAHOMAN, AND I’M PROUD TO BE FROM SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND THE PEOPLE IN OUR PART OF THE STATE. AND REALLY THROUGHOUT THE STATE, THEY’RE THEY’RE TOUGH. THEY’RE RESILIENT. THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THAT WE’VE WE’VE SEEN A CATASTROPHE. UH, THE PEOPLE ARE HAVE RESPONDED POSITIVELY AND WE’RE MOVING FORWARD ONE DAY AT A TIME. BUT WE’RE GOING TO REBUILD AND WE’RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD. ALL RIGHT. WE’RE GOING TO SWITCH GEARS HERE TO ONE MONTH IS LEFT IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS IN GETTING A FINALIZED BUDGET? BUDGET HERE? I THINK WE’RE VERY CLOSE ON THE BUDGET. I MEAN, AS YOU KNOW, THE HOUSE ROLLED OUT A BUDGET TRANSPARENCY PORTAL AND ANYONE IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA CAN CAN REACH THAT WEBSITE AND THAT PORTAL AT OKARCHE DOT GOV, WHICH IS THE OKLAHOMA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES LANDING PAGE. AND THERE’S A LINK THERE, BUT YOU CAN GO IN AND SEE REAL TIME WHERE WE ARE IN THE BUDGET. BUT THERE’S JUST THERE’S NOT THAT VERY NOT THAT MANY ITEMS THAT WE HAVE NOT RECONCILED BETWEEN THE HOUSE, THE SENATE AND THE AND THE GOVERNOR. SO I’M HOPEFUL THAT, UH, AND DON’T MEAN TO JINX THIS, BUT HOPEFULLY THIS WEEK. YEAH, HOPEFULLY THIS WEEK. BUT I BUT I THINK THERE’S A REAL POSSIBILITY OBVIOUSLY. UM, THE TORNADO DEVASTATIONS IN THE STATE ARE A BIT OF A, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE A PRIORITY AND THEY’RE SOMEWHAT WE’RE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ON THOSE RIGHT NOW. BUT I KNOW THAT THE BUDGET APPROPRIATION TEAMS MET YESTERDAY, THEY’RE SCHEDULED TO MEET AGAIN THIS WEEK. AND HOPEFULLY WE GET AGREEMENT AND START RUNNING THOSE PIECES OF LEGISLATION VERY SOON. ALL RIGHT. HOUSE SPEAKER CHARLES MCCALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON. ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN AND GIVING US DETAILS ABOUT ISSUES THAT REALLY IMPACT OKLAHOMANS. AND OF COURSE, THINKING OF ALL OF THOSE NEIGHBORS OUT THERE. AND SO FOR HOLDENVILLE, THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED HARD BY THOSE DEVASTATING STORMS, WE APPRECIATE EVERYBODY WHO’S REACHED OUT, EVEN HERE IN THE METRO, TO TRY TO HELP THE PEOPLE OUTSID